


Veiled

by andrein



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 15:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17164793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrein/pseuds/andrein
Summary: A Sakura love story.No matter how much we want things to stay the same, life is all about change. Sometimes change is for better and sometimes it's not.What will happen when someone from the future falls in love with someone from the past, who was supposed to be DEAD?Will she be able to protect him from his future?Will they be together?What will happen to their Timeline? Their friends? Other's lives?Action! Romance! And a lot more





	1. Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

 

 

"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realise that the situation is over, you cannot move forward"  
-Steve Maraboli

"Hey Sakura! Common let's go! We are getting late! You know that everyone's waiting for us for the dinner at BBQ, common take a break..you will exhaust yourself!" A blond kunoichi yelled through the door. She had been waiting for her best friend for time which seems to be eternity. She knows why her best friend is doing this, exhausting herself to her limits taking extra shifts. Huh!! She furrowed her brows.. It's been two years.. two years since her best friend heart crushed into millions of pieces. And it's all because of you emotionless bastard she once had crush over. Her hands turned into tight fists .

'Sasuke Uchiha'

"Oh...! I am sorry Ino. There were lots of patients and..." Sakura stopped herself from saying anything further when she received a look from her best friend which said 'who_are_you_lying_to' !  
Sakura closed the door behind her while taking her white doctor coat off her. She smiled at Ino... 'fake smile' that's all Ino thought and then she sighed.

"So how was your day?" Ino asked while walking out of the hospital.

"Tiring, of course, as I said there were lots of patients!! And actually ...." Sakura stopped saying further as dizziness took over. She stumbled but Ino caught her before falling! Now she was pissed.

"What the hell forehead!" She said while steadying her best friend. "You should stop ruining yourself. Look at you! you're now just bones and skin, your eyes lost your shine ! Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"Sorry Ino! It's just the patients need me and..."

"NO SAKURA! I KNOW EVERY FUCKING THING ABOUT YOU! I KNOW YOU WELL ENOUGH EVEN WHEN YOU SMILE FOR 'FAKE' SMILE TO OTHERS!!!"

Sakura cringed.

Ino continued.. "AND WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? JUST BECAUSE OF ONE PERSON WHO NEVER GAVE A FUCK ABOUT YOU? Sakura! You need to move on. He's happily married to Karin. I admit she's a bitch but he's happy with her!" Ino looked at her friend who was staring down at the road while walking.

"Ino! I know that and I'm really happy that Sasuke-kun is happy with Karin. It's just that .. I truly loved him. I have give him all my heart and that too for a very long time. I ... Want .... I want to .....move on. But. .." A tear escaped her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. " I am not able to do that. But I know I will." She looked up at the night sky. " Don't worry Ino pig! I will be alright!" She composed herself and winked at her best friend.

"Huh! Forehead!" Ino smirked. She was happy that at least Sakura was trying to move on. She glanced at sky which was glistening with stars. She narrowed her eyes towards the sky. Then glanced through the Corner of her eye and saw that she was doing the same. She smiled the glanced back at the sky and only one thought running in her mind.

'I hope you get someone you deserve, forehead!'

___________________________________

"SAKURAAA-CHAN....YOU CAME!!! I MISSED YOU! YOU KNOW!" A certain loudmouth blond hair came running towards the door and strangled Sakura in a bear hug. Sakura genuinely laughed at her best friend, comrade and brother figure. This person always makes her happy no matter what. She was surprised by her own reaction. 'maybe Ino was right, I should move on' , she thought.  
Ino had the same reaction like her friend, since it's been ages she saw her friend happy. Huh, maybe Naruto has this power to make anyone happy no matter how much gloomier they are.

She said, "Now, now Naruto! We are starving! Let's go and eat!".

"Yupp! Common Sakura-chan! There's so many things I want to tell you!" Naruto said and practically dragged Sakura to the table who was giggling at her friend. Ino followed, smiling.  
When she got there, she met everyone. Sai, Yamato, Kakashi, Tenten, Gai, Chouji, Shikamaru, Hinata, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru, Kurenai and Mirai and Lee. Everyone was chatting. Ino took her seat between Sakura and Shikamaru.

"Hey ugly! It's been a long time!" Sai greeted with his usual fake smile. Sakura sighed, shook her head and smiled.

"Yeah Sai! I was just busy in Hospital!" She replied. Sai nodded and started eating his food. Sakura glanced at everyone. They were busy talking to their friend, wife -in Naruto's case- , comrade. Since she was out of her group for a very long time there was no topic she could talk about or start conversation with someone except Ino and Naruto. She sighed.

' Ino is right! I should move on! It's already been a very long time!I should stop sulking' she sighed again and finished her meal. She stood up to leave.

"Ino pig! I should leave now! I want to have some rest. I'm having early shift tomorrow!" She said.

"Of course, forhead! Take care and see you tomorrow!" Ino replied with a smile. She was relieved that Sakura once again started to address her with her nickname. That's right, she hated her nickname. But now she's happy.

"Yepp! Bye!" She waved her hand and left.

Sakura stepped outside the restaurant and was greeted by chilled atmosphere. She tightened her overcoat around herself with her hands and started walking towards her apartment. She looked towards the sky. It was full moon tonight. She furrowed her brows. If it's full moon night, then how come she's able to see the stars! She huffed. 'What an unusual phenomenon'

She kept walking though! She was looking around and saw how cheerful everyone were. Friends boozing around, children with their parents, talking and jumping around, couples walking with each other holding hands. How she wished she was in their place. Walking with someone. Hands clasped together. She sighed. Then her eyes landed on the windows of a restaurant. Through the glass window she could see her love of the life with his wife sitting together and eating their dinner. 'looks like they're on a dinner date huh!'  
She thought. She saw Karin who was talking continuously, blabbering about everything with hand gestures.   
Karin was a fangirl too in the start like she was. During the war she helped Tsunade-shisou. And she is really glad about that. Tsunade was like her mother. She respected her and loved her a lot. But she never thought Karin would take the love of her life away.   
Her eyes landed on a certain Raven hair man. Who was sitting across Karin.

'Sasuke-kun'

He was genuinely smiling and eating his food while listening his wife's blabbering. Then he looked up. Onyx and emerald clashed together. He blinked, not sure what to do. She looked away and kept walking. She smiled.

'At least he's happy.'

She could feel the pain in her heart but she ignored while walking like she's done for years. She was now standing in front of her apartment building, staring at her house. Then she looked towards her road. She started walking towards the road which lead to the Hokage monument. She was at the base of Hokage mountain, she looked above and started climbing the stairs and reached the top. One could see the whole village from there. The glistening of light, humming of people walking and talking around. She smiled at the view. It looked so beautiful. She huffed. The winter was near indeed. The chilly weather was enough proof. She started walking towards the woods.

Nowadays, she only worked in hospital, so she wasn't in her ninja gear. She was simply in a read dress which reached before her knees, black stockings and Mid calf black boots. And to protect her from this chilly weather, she was wearing a black overcoat. Her now waist length pink hair was in a messy bun. So long story short, she wasn't dressed for trekking, yet here she was walking in woods. She just wanted to forget everything for a moment at least. Just a moment for herself. She walked for few minutes but abrupt stopped as she heard the distant thrumming sound emanated from nearby river. She started walking towards it. When she left the forest are and came into a clearing, her eyes widened. She was now standing near a cliff and other side of the cliff was a waterfall. She stood near the edge of the cliff and looked down. A river was down there. Almost hundreds of feet down and the waterfall which was opposite to her was falling into it. She found this place so amazing. She sat there and closed her eyes, while listening the sound of water.  
The cool air caressed her cheeks. This place calmed her nerves and her whole body. What was with this place? It's like this place is surrounded by the positive aura. This place felt so good, so positive, inviting, endearing and so.... Familiar. There's presence of something around this place Tha made her feel protected and safe and -now she was confused on this one- loved? How's this even possible. She smiled as a tear she'd from her eyes. She was never this calm and relaxed for years. She stood up and smiled.

"Thank you" she whispered to no one and started walking towards the Village when she suddenly Tripped from something that caught her off guard and she fall. She groaned and sat on the ground. She looked back to see what exactly she had tripped on this flat ground. It was the edge of a wooden box which was buried in the ground and it's edge was peeping out. She became curious and tried to stand to walk to the wooden box but fall again.

"Shit! Looks like my feet is sprained. Great! Just great! Huh.. and now I can't even heal my feet. I need to save enough chakra. I need to go home too. Huh.. enough for one day !" She groaned but still crawled towards the box. She started digging the ground with her bare hands. Her nails were hurting. But there was something.. something in her heart which was telling her to continue. So she continued her digging. When she was done. A wooden square box with dimensions approximately one foot was there. She took the box out of the pit. She dusted the box and was surprised -well that could be an understatement- was actually shocked, when she saw the name of the owner of the box. Her brows knit together as she brushed her hands on the metal plate where the name was written. She sighed. Now she was confused. There was conflict in her mind.

'What should she do now?'

Put the box back in the pit and leave it as it was or take it to the Hokage or to keep it to herself. She sighed again.

Curiosity is the lust of the mind. Of course, the cure of boredom is curiosity BUT... There's no cure for curiosity. Therefore, in her case, curiosity WON.

She took the box and started walking towards the Village ignoring the pain in her feet. With a last glance to her newfound place, she left. But she was wondering what exactly this box was doing there and more importantly, WHY it was doing there! She looked at the box, she was confused still smiled .

'Shisui Uchiha huh!?'


	2. Chapter 1

"Challenges are what that makes life interesting and overcoming them is what that makes life meaningless"  
-Joshua J. Martin

There are two types of people in this world, one, people you want to drink with and, two, people who make you want to drink. And right now, the people in front of her are both. Sakura sighed. So much work for one day! Now she has to drag her best friend to her place because In is not in the condition to walk to her own place. Her right eye twitches. Now she had to clean her place tomorrow to get rid of her friend's 'mess'. She doesn't get drunk that easily. Afterall, she was the apprentice of 'The' Tsunade Senju.

"Common Saku-hic-ura! Live a li-hic- ttle, you shoul-hic-d listen t-hic-to me somet-hic-imes. Learn from -hic- me. I con-hic-fes-hic-sed my f-feelings to S..Sai!  
B..but my -hic- luck.....   
He rej -hic- ected m...me!!  
With a -hic- fucking -hic- smile!"  
Ino slurred.

Sakura sighed. How she wished this to her over. She was herself so heartbroken. Seeing her best friend like his will just ...trigger.. her so long buried feelings. She knew ... Ino had hots for Sai. Once upon a time, Her best friend a d herself used to be rivals for Sasuke's love. But both of them realised that they should move on .. WHICH in Ino's case is that... She'd already moved on. This evening In confessed to Sai. But Sai being..... Said didn't know how to feel or say. So he rejected saying he'd already shut off these types of emotions long ago and to get that emotions back into the track will may take equal amount of time. And now here she's with her best friend, her Shisou and Shizune.

"I can't believe I'm surrounded by alcoholics." Sakura muttered.

"Hahahahaha! Nah! We are not 'alcoholics'! We're only drunk! And we only drink at the weekends, except for some Special occasions like this and... And boredom -i'm always bored- and Thursdays, which come people consider the weekend" Her Shisou replied with her index finger in the air.

" That means you're drunk whole week!" Sakura groaned. "Common Ino! We need to leave. My 'teacher' is very bad influence to you!". Sakura glared at her teacher who in turn barked into laughter. Sakura sighed again and picked up her friend.   
She was so tired for all of this. She'd an early shift today at hospital which ended up just few hours ago and then she'd to come here because her best-drunk-friend called her while crying. She'd lots of work in her sleeves to do including the box she'd found yesterday. Yes! That's right! She hadn't opened that box, yet.

' But what exactly it was doing there? '

' Is it some kind of trap?'

She furrowed her brows. What if it's not? Yeah! Exactly! Out of nowhere a big fat wooden box was hidden in that place! That too of THE Shisui Uchiha! Now the question is.. what exactly should she do now? Isn't that will be inappropriate of her ? Digging into someone's belonging who now ...didn't exist? Should she give it to the Hokage? Or to the last survivor of the Uchiha clan? Afterall it belonged to their deceased clansman. There's lots of questions running in her mind but the most important was... Who exactly was Shisui Uchiha? Well it's not like she didn't know anything about him, he was known as Shisui the teleporter! Huh but the thing is... There're nothing more than that. Of course she sneak into the Hokage building to the records room and try to find out about him! She just got one file in which his resume was there and some mission reports. Also if he had died in the massacre his file would have been in the Uchiha's massacre section. But no! It was in the normal jonin section. Also there was a file of his in confidential section but before she could see someone came there and she had to sneak away! But first thing first! She'd to draw her friend to her place as soon as she can. Sakura sweat dropped as she saw Ino proposing to a pole to marry her. And it was hilarious to see that. Sakura could have laughed her ass off of she wasn't this tired and there wasn't lots of things going on.

Sakura and Ino reached Sakura's apparent. Sakura dragged her friend to her room and put her on the bed. Sakura wasn't in the mood to sleep. There were things that has to be done. Ino was still mumbling something in a foreign language. She felt sad for her best friend, tapping her forehead, she sent soothing chakra in her head making In sleep. She put the blanket over her. She was still tired but not that tired for that mysterious box, so, she took her overcoat and locking the door of her apartment, she stepped into the cold night and started running towards the Hokage building. Let's just say, she has her own way to do her work.

____________________________________

Why do people want to become Hokage? The answer is simple, to be respected be others in the village, to have power, to be considered as the strongest ninja in the village!? Also to sit between the strongest four other leader of the large nation in the world. But..

WHAT ABOUT THE WORK LOAD?

Do they EVEN know that Hokage can't sleep until their paper work isn't done? And it becomes scarier if you have assistant like SHIZUNE! He shuddered.

Kakashi never dreamt of becoming Hokage. The thought never crossed his mind! He actually never really gave any thought about it. After his tragic past of losing his father, Obito, Rin and his sensei, he actually became some emotionless bastard. Being sole member of his team, he always followed the principle his friend Obito used to follow. Then came his new team 7 and snatch him out of the dark pit he was in. There were two people he knew who always blabbered about becoming the Hokage. First was his friend Obito and other one was his knucklehead loudmouth student 'Naruto Uzumaki'. Kakashi sighed as a wicked smile came to his lips. Well, he can't wait to see Naruto and the paperwork together. But then he suddenly remembered that he too had a shit load of paperwork to do. He started banging his head on his wooden desk as he remembered his good old days when he used to peacefully sleep after reading his icha icha paradise books. Kakashi immediately resumed his paperwork when he heard the knock on his office door.

"Come in" he said not looking up from his work.

"Hello sensei! Sorry to disturb you at this time!" Sakura smiled.

Kakashi looked up and narrowed his eye to her.

'She want something.' he thought. But then smiled to her and replied "No problem Sakura. I was actually going to take a break. Why don't you sit her and talk. " He studied her as she sat on one the chair in front of him. Is it some kind of prank Naruto was still playing to see what's under his mask and dragged Sakura in it. He is married for crying out loud. Sakura was looking around the office as she wondered.

"Woah sensei! How are you still alive?" Her eyes widened as she saw high towers of papers that need to be checked, signed or need his attention. Kakashi sighed and looked at his Ex student.

" I'm really glad that you're to see that I'm still alive, Sakura" he said sarcastically as he leaned back on his chair turned around to look out of the windows. Sakura giggled making Kakashi smile.

"Now... Enlighten me Sakura. What exactly have I done that I'm graced by your presence in this..... Hell hole called my office?" He said after a pause.

She chuckled lightly then her facial features became serious.  
"Kaka-sensei! There's something I want to ask you! Actually it's more of a request!"

" I'm all ears!" He said.

" I... Uh... Eh. Hem... I was walking yesterday night and then found this place in the woods of Hokage monument. That place was really beautiful..." She trailed off.

Kakashi raised his brow and said  
"And?"

Sakura cleared her throat " so yeah... I found that place and thought to spend of spending some time there so I sat down there for a while. It was about time I thought of leaving ...so I stood and left but then I tripped on something and saw an edge if box peeping out of the ground so I dug it out..." She looked at her sensei to see his reaction but all she saw was seriousness so she continued. " So... I dug out the box and inspected it. And there was a metal plate on the top of the box on which the name of the owner was written. It belonged to ... " She gave a dramatic pause then said as she looked up at her ex sensei and what she said left Kakashi speechless.

"It belonged to Shisui Uchiha!"

____________________________________

The air around the village was becoming crispier than before. Sakura huffed and turned the corner of the street that lead to her apartment. She slowly closed the door making sure not to make any any noise as Ino was still sleeping. Slowly, slipping out of her overcoat and hanging it on the the hanger near the door, she headed towards her room. She saw Ino snoring slightly. She smiled as she stripped out her clothes for a warm and nice shower. She then stepped in the bathroom for her shower. As the hot water landed on her body, her stiffened muscles due to the cold weather outside, relaxed. Her right palm was glued to the wall in front as her eyes were staring the tiled floor. She started recalling the conversation with Kakashi.   
____________________________________

"What???? How's this possible??" He almost shouted as he rose from his chair. Sakura rose from her chair as well and worriedly asked.

" I..is everything okay kaka- sensei?" As she saw Kakashi pacing around the room.

"How's this possible? That was supposed to be in the locker!! This is bad. Shisui's box was taken...that means someone broke into the locker.. who...who could have done that ... That was confidential only elders and Hokage can visit the locker room.. who could it be..who could it be...?" Kakashi was mumbling to himself as he paced around the room. 'I need to keep my cool now!' he thought. He went back to his chair and sighed. "Itsumi! Tora!" He shouted, which startled Sakura. Two anbu appeared in front of them. "Increase the security of locker room. Also tell Shizune to check in the locker room if everything's safe and if any single thing is missing tell her to report me! NOW!!!!" He barked the orders to the anbus.   
"Hai!! Hokage sama!!" With that they disappeared. Kakashi sighed again as he closed his eyes. The tension was building up inside him. Someone broke ino the locker room. And took Shisui's box and hid it in the ground? What's happening? Why Shisui's?. His eyebrows clashed together. He huffed again.

"Uh....Kakashi sensei!!??" Sakura said nervously.

" Oh... Sakura...sorry I forgot about you!! " He smile apologetically.

" Clearly...!!! If you don't mind kaka-sensei. What happened?" She asked.

His eyebrows furrowed. " Of course Sakura. Um..you know there are some confidential things our village possess which have our secrets and also which is not suppose to be stolen or something or our village could be in grave danger. For example...the scroll of seals Naruto stole which he was tricked to steal." Sakura nodded.   
Kakashi continued. " Exactly like that, we possess some important things and they are kept in the locker room. This box you're talking about. If it is the same box then someone broke into the locker room. But the question is who? The locker room can only be opened by our advisers, me and the previous Hokage including Shizune. Who could have done that? And the most important question is what more could he or she have stolen?" Kakashi's face paled. Sakura's eyes widened. Someone stole it. And then bury it into the ground? Why?.

" Kakashi sensei! I have the box in my place! What should I do now?" She asked.

"Hmmm... I think you should keep it. I know it'll be safe with you. It's not safe in locker room. If the person can broke into the room one time without being noticed then it's for sure that he or she can do it again. And again who'll know that it will be at your place!" Kakashi replied.

Sakura sighed. That's right. Who'll expect it, to be at her place. She sighed again. She sighs a lot nowadays. With that she stood up. " Alright kaka-sensei I should leave." She didn't asked what exactly she wanted ask him. Looks like the thing's is more important. She sighed. Now that box will be at her place and she'll die with curiosity.

" Of course! Thanks for the information you gave. That was important!" He said. Sakura nodded and turned to leave.   
Should she ask him?

No! She shouldn't.

She grab the door knob and turned it.

" You know you can peek into it if you want. I trust you with my life. I know it'll not harm us. And. You should have ask me directly. You shouldn't hide anything, I will know it sooner or later. Afterall I am your good old sensei. " Kakashi said.

Sakura's eyes widened. She snapped her head towards her teacher who had amused expression on his face. Then he looked down and started writing on the paper.

"Just keep it confidential!" He said. Just then Shizune entered the room. She smiled at Sakura who returned it. Sakura looked at Kakashi who was looking at her.

"I will!" Who she was kidding to. He was her sensei. He knew them that includes Naruto Sasuke and her like the back of his hand. She shook her head as a smile was plastered on her face. She closed the door behind her.

Well .. now there are lots of things to do!

___________________________________

Sakura came out of the steaming bath room and changed herself into her PJs. She made herself coffee and sat on her dining table. She looked at the clock. It was 11 PM. Alright she have enough time . Sipping her coffee, she started at the wooden box in front of her. Placing the coffee mug on her table, she sighed.

'Ah.. about time I do it'


	3. Chapter 2

'Love breeds sacrifice, which when in turn breeds hatred then only you can know the real pain'  
\- Pein

It was early in the morning.one can see the sun rising in pool of crimson and gold, spilling the light all over the land and the white clouds slowly. The wind was sure very crispy, after all winter was coming.

Sakura was huffing and puffing with all the workout, training and jogging she'd done. She was panting hard but she kept running.

'Why?'

Sakura increased her speed. She had a place in her mind and she kept running towards it.

'WHY??'

Sakura was trying to focus where she was going but her mind was constantly drifting again and again to the things she'd read from the box. She stopped and bend herself. Her palms were on her knees, catching her breath. Yes, she'd reached her destination. She stood straight. And faced the mightiest clan's graveyard huge gates. The Uchiha clan's symbol was sure reflecting it's clans demise. The strongest clan in the world wiped out in one night. Her feet moved themselves towards the graveyard. There were flowers in her hands. White and pink roses with white orchids symbolising purity, rememberence, beauty and strength. Pushing the huge gates wise open, Sakura entered. Her eyes widened and only one thought came to her mind.

' There are so many of them!'

She stepped in and noticed that the graveyard was indeed very old. It was situated near the Uchiha compound. The trees were surrounding it. But from the look of it one can say someone was taking care of it. This place was....clean. No sign of typical old graveyard that one would afraid to go. This place was very peaceful. Sakura the started her search for one particular gravestone.

' True shinobis are those who protect the peace from shadows. That's my belief. After my encounter with the injured ANBU and the foundation members with Itachi during my training exercise years ago, that's what I've concluded. One can't state who's right. Maybe from one perspective he's wrong maybe in reality he's not. That must be complicated heh!

Hmm... Why am I writing this? Well it's just as a shinobi I don't know when my life's gonna end. So, I've decided that today.. On my sixteenth birthday, I'll write what I feel I this letter and give it to the Lord Hokage for the safe keeping with my other things.

So, yeah! I love my clan but not more than my village. I hate to put this but for me I will always choose the village first. Also.. nowadays the constant distrust for the Uchihas among the villagers is adding fuel to the already put wildfire. The Uchiha's coup d'état against the village will only create the civil war and because of the weakened state of the village, other village will surely attack it. Lots of lives are on the line and I don't want this to happen. I'm thinking of putting a proposal of using my kotoamatsukami on Fugaku Uchiha in front of Lord Third. And I know he'll agree to this.   
Then maybe this ..all of these things can be avoided.   
But.. I don't know why but I am having this feeling that something's going to happen.. I am not a person to believe in these types of things... But literally I'm not feeling good. I want to protect both my village and my clan. After experiencing the war... I wish the next generation will not face it.. but the future is always unpredictable. It is possible that I may die tomorrow..heh...not easily though... Afterall I'm a shinobi of the Leaf and.... An uchiha...  
Peace out!  
-SU'

____________________________________  
Date:xx/xx/xxxx

If only .... If only there's someway... Someway to save him again... I'll do it. Witnessing him die.. how ashamed I am of myself. I shouldn't have withheld aid at that ... Critical moment. I'm a murderer. ... A murderer... I'll never ..never succumb to such feelings again. I'll not fall for the course of hatred that runs in Uchihas . I know what I've awakened but I'll never use it for my selfish purposes ... No.. not anymore.

-S  
____________________________________  
Date:xx/xx/xxxx

I met him.. today.. of course I know he's Itachi son of the leader of our clan. But this was the first time I've talked to him. He's ditching his school. He's very talented for his age but when he asked a simple question, he made me to wonder about him. What exactly had he seen that he asked that question

*Shisui-san ... Why is there fighting in life?*

-S  
____________________________________

Date:xx/xx/xxxx

He didn't wanted to be in his house. I've already noticed when I saw him. He awakened his sharingan and I know how! Sharingan... Reflection of heart.. awakens when one goes with the huge pain or trauma. I know in his last mission he lost his friend. Now I wonder how much more pain you're going to suffer itachi.. just in order to get stronger. Are you going to.. suffer like.... Once... I did?  
-S  
____________________________________  
Date:xx/xx/xxxx

Things are getting worse than ever. The distrust among the uchiha clan and the village is getting... Huh... I don't want to attend meetings of our clan anymore. I love my clan but I love my village more. Today I talked to Lord third... Sooner or later I've to chose the sides and therefore I chose one..

I hope what I'm going to do in good because I don't know I'll be get caught or not because I'm going against another mankeyo sharingan weilder. Of course I know Fugaku Uchiha has it. Only one mangekyo sharingan holder can point that. I dont know I'm going to be arrested, die... Or happen nothing at all.. just everything goes according to the plan but if anything happens... I just wanted to say. That yeah like any other .... Human being... I would have liked.. to grow up.. see the world... Protect the village more... Or... Fall in Love... Have family...grow old.... Then maybe die... But as a shinobi... Of the Leaf village... I will be very happy to sacrifice anything... And I would be very happy about it..   
Well.... Today is the day . I hope everything will go... according to the plan..   
Until then  
-S'  
____________________________________

She finally found it....

Sakura was now kneeling in front of a gravestone. Finding one particular gravestone among other six hundred or so is quite a work to do. The weather was becoming warmer and warmer. One could see the streaks of sunlight falling. The graveyard was covered with trees as it is in the forest beside the Uchiha compound. The fog was slowly disappearing. Sakura wiped the gravestone clean and stared at the name for a while.

|Shisui Uchiha|

She placed flowers on it and sighed. She gave a sideways glance to the gravestone just beside it.

|Itachi Uchiha|

"Two shinobis who tried to protect the village and peace from the shadows huh!?"she whispered.

|I'm tired of the duties... |  
|There's no future for the |  
|Uchiha or for me. |  
| I cannot walk out the "path"|  
| Anymore.. |

"I don't know what exactly happened. You didn't mentioned much in your diary's torn pages... The things that were happening around you must be classified. Ohh.... I'm sorry .. how rude of me... I am Sakura Haruno! I know you don't know a bit about me! But at least I know that much about you... You know....a bit. " She placed some flowers on the tombstone of Itachi too.

"You sure loved your village.. didn't you?" Her eyes were staring at Shisui's name. "I wish there was some way to say you... And itachi... You guys sure deserve love and respect from the village or from someone more than we do.!" Her eyes softened. What exactly could she do now. Both of them were dead. Resting in peace in the afterworld. The only thing she could do now was to pray for them. Heh! That's what being a shinobi is. You sacrifice yourself and sometimes your name, and future to protect those you love. Whether they are your siblings, family , friend, clan, village or ...anyone. That's what these two did. Avoided the next ninja war. Just the two of them. But we're living in a world where nothing's free. And this cost their lives, future and name.

'If.... If I get any chance.... Any chance to save them i'll do it gladly even if it cost my useless life! But that's impossible!. They are alrea-'

"I think about this everyday!!"

Sakura jumped. Who the hell this person think he is? Intruding someone like that. And the most important thing, how come she's not able to sense this person coming. Of course he'd masked his chakra perfectly. She turned around and her eyes widened. The person is non other than the only survivor and the head of non existent Uchiha clan.

"H-hey Sasuke!?" Sakura greeted nervously. Of course she'd trespasses the territory she shouldn't have. She looked at him. He was same as ever. His face of void of any emotions but covered with beads of sweat indication of his workout and still managed to look like god. Yeah she loved him a lot. But she's moving on. She'll never become any third party in his relationship. That's why when Sasuke came back from his world tour after years and she saw with Karin, rather than making any scene or commotion she sadly smiled and went back to her place. Yeah! To be honest, when she closed the door of her house she curled into a ball right there, near the closed door. She truly believed that Sasuke will come back to HER. But he didn't. Her heart was broken into so many pieces that she even tried to collect them all and fix it but couldn't. So she left it, she left her heart broken. Since then she avoided him. It's not because she was angry at him for not chosing her or hated him. She will never hate him. It's just because her heart was so fragile that she couldn't handle an encounter with him.

So right now, the said man was standing right in front of her in all his glory. The sun was out but since they were in the middle of forest the sunlight couldn't reach the ground but few streaks here and there.

Sasuke's onyx eyes was staring right into the emerald ones. He too cam out for some physical work and thought he could spare with his best friend slash rival, Naruto Uzumaki. But looks like he did some -ehem- work last night so he was still asleep. Millions of thoughts were running inside his mind. He knew perfectly that he had broken this pink haired beauty's heart who was standing in front of him pretty badly. And also she tried her best to avoid him whether in social gatherings or missions. In the starting, after he came to the village with Karin he came to know that she was dealing with serious depression but like he'd thought that she'd try to confront him or do something along the lines.... Well..nothing happened. It was like she gave up on him, which she actually did and accepted the fact that he's married. It always broke his heart to see her like that but he's too proud to accept that or even show this fact to anyone. He knew from the start that he never deserved her.. like a cold hearted bastard he was. Her last confession during the war almost stopped him, what he was going to do.. ALMOST ! When he left the village to sort out his feelings he was sure that he'd sort what he felt towards her too but in the end he made conclusion that she deserves much better than him.. much better

"Um.. I'm sorry I trespassed..umm your territory. I shouldn't have some here without your consent" Sakura said and bowed breaking the line of thoughts Sasuke was having. He started moving towards Itachi's gravestone and put the flower he brought on it.

"Hn. It alright. This place is also a part of village. Anyone can come here." He answered without looking at her. He noticed that there were flowers on Shisui's grave too.

"Uh... Yeah.. um..thank you.. I...I should leave now. Um... Have a nice D-Day. " She said a turned to leave. She was in no mood to have a sweet little talk with him. Not now.

She left the place leaving the uchiha alone. Sasuke looked at Itachi's grave from Sakura's retreating back.

" Ni-san! Do you think what I did ...was...right?" He murmured softly. With one last glance at Shisui's grave and the flowers on it he left too.


	4. Chapter 3

‘A shinobi’s life is not measure by how they lived but rather what they managed to accomplish before their death’   
-JIRAIYA

“Something’s going to happen” Kakashi said to himself. He was looking out of the window of his office. It was morning and Yes!! He didn’t sleep last night because first, there were lots of paperwork to be handled and second, the recent case that caught his undivided attention. Why would someone break into the locker and steal Shisui’s box, also bury it nowhere?? The locker was not safe now! Because that someone can easily access it. Only Shisui’s box was taken and nothing else. If that certain someone wanted to harm the village they could’ve stolen really important and confidential file. The village was in peace. After the fourth great ninja war it took some time to rebuild it, as the village was already recovering itself from Pein’s attack.

The thing is he felt the same kind of cold shiver ran down through his spine a while ago like that when nine tails attacked. Though the village seemed happy and trouble less. But he couldn’t ignore this. It was just a hunch, if you ask. That’s why he had tightened the security around the village and since they have acquired somewhat closer to what they called peace, less number of A-rank missions were there. So, like a benefit to their side, he had sent less number of jounins for missions.

Kakashi also got a report that there was a sudden increase in the chakra density eight miles north of the village. The ANBU reported that the chakra around them suddenly increased choking them with its density. But then nothing happened since then. So long story short he could’ve ignored all these happenings. They aren’t VERY important or eventful events. The damage was nothing. But increasing the security won’t hurt, would it? Kakashi sighed as he turned to his desk, rubbing his forhead with his hand. A knock on the door broke his trance.

“Come in!” He said faintly.

The door creaked open and none other than Sasuke Uchiha entered with his ball of sunshine, Naruto Uzumaki. But he didn’t had his normal expression on his face. It was serious which was so unlike him. Both of them stood in front of kakashi’s desk. Looks like both of them felt it too. The uncomfortable feeling of the approaching danger.

“Kakashi sensei, you do know that why we are here don’t you?” Naruto asked kakashi.

The said man met Uzumaki’s eyes. Naruto surely grew up. He sure has his goofy nature and some blonde moments here and there around people to ease them around him. But could become serious whenever he wanted to. Also he got some intimidation technique from his best friend standing beside him. It was already decided that after three years Naruto would be named as Seventh Hokage of the village hdden in the leaf. Kakashi never discussed with him though. He wanted this as a surprise to him. Kakashi eyed them then sighed. He held his head and murmured.

“Yeah! I know... I too can feel this approaching danger. This invisible danger which is unknown to us... is standing at our doors and we don’t know how to tackle them, fight them or do anything else.” Kakashi frowned.

Naruto eyed his sensei, the always cool and composed kakashi was really frustrated. He sighed as he sat on one of the chairs in front of the desk and leaned towards it. His action were followed by Sasuke.

“Ah! Well!! That’s the thing... We don’t know what’s gonna happen next or maybe nothing’s gonna happen. We don’t know! I’m not saying that we should lower our guards but maybe everything’s just a false alarm.

“Hn!” Sasuke agreed in his own way of agreeing.

“I hope so!” Kakashi gave them a faint smile and turned his wheeled office chair towards the window and looked out narrowing his eyes.

“This is all weird. Some days ago... the locker room was robbed without us knowing. Nothing else was taken but Shisui Uchiha’s confidential documents which was kept in wooden box. We never came to know until Sakura informed the she found the box buried in the ground near the cliff of Naka river waterfall, apparently the same place according to you Sasuke where Shisui Uchiha committed suicide.Apart from you and your elder brother, we know about that.” Kakashi said indicating himself and Naruto, “It happened almost two weeks ago. But the locker room was ambushed again even when the security was tightened. When we entered, all the documents were lying here and there. It looks like the intruder tried to find something and we somewhat guessed what it was.” Kakashi turned around to face his students. Both of them had knowing looks on their faces. He looked at the desk and then continued. “Shisui’s box! I don’t know why the intruder is interested in it. It has nothing useful but his last note, few letters, his diary’s torn pages which according to Tsunade was sent by Itachi Uchiha for safe keeping and some confidential files of him.”

“Where is it now?” Now Sasuke asked almost knowing where exactly it was. Kakashi looked up to meet Sasuke eyes. He glanced at Naruto who had his eyes closed. His eyes were closed as if he was concentrating on something. Kakashi looked at Sasuke.

“At Sakura’s” He whispered bare enough for both of them to hear but then suddenly Naruto sprang to his feet. Kakashi looked at him confused. He noticed that Naruto was in his sage mode which confused him even more.Naruto was looking at the window on the right. He walked towards it and looked out to find no one. Naruto glanced back at Sasuke and from the looks of it he understood everything. Kakashi sighed. Them and their eyes talk.

Naruto was about to jump out when the door of Kakashi’s office burst open and a terrified Shikamaru entered.

“L-lord Hokage. Is naruto her-..” Shikamaru’s eyes landed on Naruto.

“N-naruto..” Shikamaru stuttered. Naruto frowned. Did Shikamaru just stuttered?

“Naruto... H-hinata..” Shikamaru said nervously.

Naruto’s eyes widened as Shikamaru stated Hinata’s name.

“What is it?? Is everything okay? Did anything happened to her? Shikamaru...answer me!!!!!” But Shikamaru was too shocked to answer him. Naruto groaned. Then he increased his sensing area of his sage mode to cover the whole village and then...Naruto froze. Sasuke stared at his friend’s back.

“Naruto! What is it??” Sasuke asked.

“Sasuke you need to find Sakura as fast as you can!” Naruto said in a terrified voice. Sasuke frowned.

“What is it?” He asked.

“Sasuke! GO find her!” Naruto said. “The guy near the window is going after her.. maybe because she has Shisui’s box. He’s very strong and have large amount of chakra. He’s somewhat similar to...” Naruto trailed off.

Sasuke ran towards the window and jumped out. And started running towards the Sakura’s flickering chakra. Looks like the guy Naruto was talking about reached her. But he had to admit, this guy is very good at masking his chakra. He increased his speed. She was near. He jumped down to the road and started running towards the training ground. He was sure Sakura can handle herself. She was strong enough for that. Afterall she was one of the new generation sanins. He was going here just to see why Naruto seemed so terrified of this guy. He reached there as he could see Sakura who was facing the guy and him. The person’s back was facing Sasuke. The person was wearing plain black cloak with a hood which was purposely covering his face. But from the looks of terrified face of Sakura, she’d already seen his face and was maintaining her fighting stance. Her eyes flickered to Sasuke, her eyes full of worry and terror.

‘why worry’ he thought,

Looks like the person finally noticed him and slowly turned around. Sasuke noticed that the hood was still covering his face. Sasuke narrowed his eyes to him. Something about this guy screams familiarity. Sasuke took one step closer, his Katana already in his hands. He was extremely suspicious about this person. And then the staring contest began, Sasuke stared the person without moving an inch and the person did the same. Sasuke threw a kunai upwards in the air waiting for it to fall on the ground. Just when the tip of kunai pierced the ground, as if on cue they started moving towards each other and then two katans clashed in the middle of the ground. When the stranger ran, his hood fell from his head revealing his long ebony hair tied in loose pony tail.

Sasuke’s eyes widened in horror. He stumbled backwards as he stared at the person.

“N...ni-S...an??” Sasuke stuttered.

“Hn!! Foolish little brother!” None other than Itachi Uchiha said while smirking.

~@~

Naruto looked worriedly at his friend’s back. He knew who was that person but he just couldn’t make himself to say that. He was still staring at the windows while asking Shikamaru.

“Where is she?” still not looking at him. He could’ve sensed her, but nature energy is little disturbed so he’d turned off his sage mode.

“H-hyuuga compound.” Shikamaru replied.

“Kakashi sensei! Shikamaru will update you about everything. I need to go!”Naruto said as he vanished from their sight.

Naruto ran towards the Hyuuga coumpound. This is bad. Very bad. Those people who are supposed to be dead are coming back to life. No! They’re not reanimated. Real people, like in flesh and blood. He had sensed their chakra signatures. They’re alive but how? What’s happening? He jumped down from the roof to the ground. And ran towards Hyuuga compound. He kept running towards the gate of the compound until he sensed his midnight blue haired wife leaning against her father. He ran towards her.

“HINATA!!” he shouted. The said girl   
looked back to see her husband running towards her. She freed herself from her father and ran towards him.

“N-naruto.....” she said weakly as she hugged Naruto. He patted her head affectionately and said softly.

“Hey!!...its alright. What happened?”   
Hinata looked up and pointed her finger towards the compound unable to say anything. He released her. Hiashi came to them as he quickly took his daughter for a hug as she cried on his shoulder. Naruto’s eyes lingered on her for a while they met older Hyuuga’s eyes.

“Where is he?” He asked him. Of course! He knew what happened and he already knew who the person was.

“In there.” The hyuuga tilted his head towards the main building of the hyuuga compound.

“No one should know about this.” The Hyuuga nodded. Naruto glanced at Hinata once again and started walking towards the gate of the main building of the compound. He reached there and with one last deep breathe he opened the door.

There stood him, in the middle of the courtyard. He was leaning against the tree wearing a black cloak with hood covering his face and arms folded across his chest. Naruto kept walking and reached him, standing few feet away from him.

“Hn! You finally came! I freaked everyone out, didn’t I?” the hooded person said as he stood straight and faced Naruto, arms still folded.

Naruto sighed as he rubbed his forehead with his hands and kept it there. He peeked through his fingers and dropped them.

“Ah! Well... been a long time eh?” Naruto replied.

The stranger unfolded his hands and moved them to remove his hood.   
The cerulean blue eyes clashed with the pale ones.

“Indeed it is, Naruto.” The person replied.

“Heh! So, how have you been..   
..   
..   
..   
Neji?”

~@~

“H-How ...is....W-What...” Sasuke was too shocked to say anything. It was him. He was really Itachi Uchiha, his elder brother. His chakra signature is of Itachi’s. He’s not doing anything any transformation jutsu or his sharingan could have caught it. But how come...? Itachi started walking towards Sasuke. He noticed it and stiffened. Maybe this is somekind of trap. He gripped his katana tighter in his hand, even though his katana was in his side –not really in fighting position- but he was ready for a fight. Itachi was in front of him now. He brought his hands in front of him. Sasuke’s knuckles around the handle of the katana turned white but then he felt a tap on his forehead. That broke all his concentration and Sasuke loosened his fighting stance. His eyes widened at this gesture. It brought all his painful memories with his brother.

“You always want to fight, don’t you? But maybe next time Sasuke. I have more important work to do.” Itachi said with a genuine smile. He turned towards Sakura and started walking towards her.

“I-Itachi wait!!!” Sasuke shouted and started walking towards him. He held Itachi’s arms making him stop. Itachi turned and gave questioning look to him.

Sasuke sighed and said, “Itachi, what are you doing here? You..should be...dead!” He cringed at the last word.

Itachi furrowed his brows. “That’s what I was going to talk about...” he pointed at Sakura “-with her”.

“Her?” Sasuke questioned. “why her?”

“Because first of all she has something I need and second of all there’s something she has to do which only she can do!” Itachi replied.

“What is it Itachi?”Sasuke frowned.

“Sasuke, we don’t have much of the time. So, if you leave my arm, I can explain everything before it too late!” Itachi answered calmly.

Sasuke left his arms reluctantly. He observed his brother’s face. He looked serious, but his brother was good at hiding his emotions and lying. He even looked serious and blank when he said that he killed everyone in his clan just to test his abilities.

“Hn! Alright! Go ahead!” Sasuke said.   
Itachi gave last look to his brother, then started walking towards Sakura. She looked at the Uchiha brothers confused but then noticed that Sasuke looked as confused as her. Itachi stopped in front of her. For some reason his eyes softened. Now Sakura was more confused than she ever was.

“Sakura?” Itachi called.

“Y-yeah?”

“I once heard you saying that if you could save me and Shisui by any method you will? Did you mean that?” Itachi tilted his head questioningly. Sakura flushed with anger and embarrassment. She fumed because these two Uchiha brothers kind of like eavesdropping

“Of course I did!” Sakura’s face was red with embarrassment but eyes reflected anger whereas Itachi’s face remained blank but amusement swam in his eyes.

‘Still the same eh?’ Itachi thought

“Well good then. It was one of the things I wanted to ask you. So, do you still have Shisui’s box?”

Sakura’s eyes narrowed, “Yes! I have, why?”

“Sakura! Trust me! I’m not the enemy here. This is important. Whole timeline is crashing. I should be dead but I’m here standing alive, with flesh, blood and a beating heart.” Itachi said.

“Hmm... I se- what?? What do you mean by whole timeline is crashing??” Sakura asked panicking.

“We don’t know yet. But we ma- ”

“We??” Both Sasuke and Sakura asked.

“Yeah! Me and that Hyuuga boy!” Itachi replied.

“ Hyuuga boy? Who is thi- ” She gasped. “I-Is he....N-Neji?”

“Yeah! That’s what his name is!” Itachi said calmly.

Sakura sat on the ground and groaned. This is going to be a very long day. Sasuke was rubbing his forehead with his hands thinking the same thing as Sakura. And Itachi stood there watching them amusedly.

“Are you two married?” Itachi asked bluntly. Of course he knew who his brother was married to. He was here in this village for few days. But teasing them won’t cost anything.

“NO!!! WE ARE NOT!!” both of them shouted at the same time flushed.

“Alright then???” Itachi looked between them controlling his laughter. “Coming back to the business... Sakura! Give me the box. There’s something inside it, I need.”   
Sakura sighed and took out a scroll out of her pouch. She made few hand signs then the scroll unlocked. She opened it and summoned the and it appeared with a puff of smoke. Itachi knelt down and opened it. He found Shisui’s last note and stared it for a while as few painful memories passed by. After few minutes, Itachi cleared his throat then made few signs and some numbers appeared on the back side of the paper. Itachi then handed it to Sasuke, who took it in his hands and looked at Itachi confused.

“Sasuke, with your Rinnegan you can travel into space and time. Into different dimensions right?” Itachi asked.

“Yeah?”

“There are the coordinates of the.....place, and you need to remember it. Is your rinnegan ready for ... space and time travel?” Itachi asked again.

“No! Not for that but I can travel to different dimensions now.” Sasuke said wondering how his brother knew about his abilities.

“Prepare it then! We will buy the time till then. Let’s go! I need to meet the current Hokage.” Itachi looked at Sasuke and Sakura who were giving him ‘you-said-you-will-explain’ look. He sighed. “And I will explain everything but in front of the hokage. Now let’s go!” with that Itachi started walking towards the Hokage tower. And then Sasuke and Sakura started following him.

~@~

She glanced at them through her eye lashes. Both of them had same blank expression on their faces. Sakura rolled her eyes on that. They were nearing the Hokage tower when she noticed Naruto walking towards the tower with someone. She ran forward. Anything to be away from these silent brothers.

“ Naruutooooo!!!!!!” She shouted.

Naruto turned back and waved to Sakura. Sakura stopped in front of them. She looked at Naruto and noticed he had one black eye. She raised her brow on that then looked at the person beside him.

“Neji!” She greeted with a smile. “It is so good to see you!”

“I feel the same, Sakura!” said person smiled.

Sakura grinned then turned towards Naruto and asked, “What happened to your eyes Naruto?”

“Ah..um....well...” Naruto stammered, he rubbed the back of his head with his hand and nervously glanced at Neji. Sakura gave Neji a questioning look.

Neji just shrugged and said, “My brotherly instinct took over”   
Sakura bit her lower lip to keep herself from laughing.

“You Certainly grew up Naruto.” Sakura almost jumped. She turned towards the voice to find Itachi and Sasuke behind her. Naruto came forward smiling.

“So did you Itachi! What are you?? Fifty?” Naruto joked.

“Hn! Twenty eight” Itachi said, Naruto grinned at that.

Sasuke’s eyes widened. How the hell he didn’t noticed his brother AND how come Naruto and Itachi this friendly, talking like long lost friends. He narrowed his eyes, observing his elder brother. Itachi sure grew little taller than before and his face matured. His eyes...his eyes? HIS EYES? What the... Sasuke had Itachi’s eyes.. how come Itachi has his own eyes. What hell is happening. Sasuke grew impatient.

“We should go” Itachi said. Everyone agreed and proceeded towards the building. They reached the door the office of Hokage’s. Sakura was about to come forward to knock the door but before that Naruto came forward and opened the door without knocking.

“Common guys. He’s our sensei... he won’t even min- ” Naruto abruptly froze in his place Sakura was about to hit Naruto on his head but stopped herself when she saw Naruto’s face. She followed his line of sight and her body stiffened. By then everyone had entered and Sasuke gaped at the scene in front of him. They were met by pleased Kakashi, gawking Shikamaru and... 

“EHHHHH???????”

“OBITOO?????”


	5. To be there or Not to be there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shoto

" I find you there 

you look for me where

where days lasts for weeks

and months lasts for years...

where year ends never 

and smile meets tears...

There we drown together...."

 

The cloak fluttered as he stared the village from the top of the mountain. The hood covered his face. The sun was setting down. Orange hue was painted the canvas he was watching. He was not tired, not at all. He would have never come here but.. for once he wanted to see this place again. The calmness, welcoming aura, everything was alluring. His eyes drifted to the Hokage tower. He could see the commotion in the Hokage office just because of the fine eyes he has. He could see the blur of colors in the office, but his eyes searched for one. The pink color caught his eye and his eyes warmed, but the vision was blocked when he found himself staring into the onyx eyes of his long lost cousin. They communicated everything through their eyes when the person in the office turned his back and disappeared in it. He shook his head. Bringing the hood down to cover his face he turned around and walked away. The cloak still fluttered behind his back.

Disappear, that's what he is good at, and that's what he will do.

Protect, that's what he always wanted to do and that's what he will do.

Love, that's what he always did and that's what he will always do.

He stopped for once and looked back just to take in one last image of the village in his mind. His eyes flickered to the Hokage tower. It will merely take millionth part of second to flicker there. Just for one glance, he could risk it. But, now, the fate never was good for him, was it? He turned forwards and without any backwards glance, he sped off and disappeared in the dark abyss.

"She walked along the narrow path

along the side of the lonely stream.

Her pink hair was wet and 

stuck haphazardly to her face.

That face that was so tanned 

fruit of summer swimming in the lake nearby.

Her hands were cupped,one over each other.

It's a present for you, said she.

I wondered what she hid.

She smiled and pirouetted lively

on the wet dewy grass.

Made as if to turn back 

then stuck out her tongue.

Come get your present, she taunted.

I was slightly irritated but decided to comply.

Slowly, she pleaded,and opened her hand.

Out jumped a small green frog,

and sprang into the stream.

She laughed, a melody of joy.

Was I like the frog?

Was I a prisoner of her love?

Only to escape when she lets go?

I smiled and hand in hand

we turned back home."


	6. Chapter 4

"Death will surely catch up,eventually...

But if I have you by my side

And I have your love for the rest of time;

Maybe then I can truly say "Goodbye."

But only once and never again, 

not in this life!

Happiness has gone from me again!

All I'm left with within my world; 

is my own pain;

But I never said to you, 

just what I knew.

Just know I only ever spoke the truth.

I just couldn't do this to you!

You're much too weak to take this pain, 

I guess thought the crazy fool.

Oh...But picture me within your heart;

I'll be your love light in the dark!"

-Anonymous

 

 

 

 

"Alright! Explanation now!"Sakura commanded.

"Yeah! It's not normal to see dead people walking around like nothing happened with ... well with beating heart and ... and grown up too! Ya know!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What? Not happy to see us around... alive? You hurt me there Naruto!" Obito mocked as he place his hand on his chest.

"Ohh common you know what i mean" Naruto whined.

Obito chuckled and then sighed.

"How about you guys sit up? And will please close the door Sakura!" He asked. Sakura did as he asked and all of them sat on the chairs and couches around there. Only Obito was standing. He was looking somewhere outside the window. He turned around and replied their questioning looks with an eye roll.

" Look I know you guys are wondering ... well... how can we all... dead people are alive. Trust me! I was very happy where I was. But something big's gonna happen. I know you guys felt it too. And the living proof are us." He chose a chair to sit and rubbed his temple with his hands and gave an exasperated sigh. " I know I should every single detail to you guys but we don't have much of the time. The first wave is going to hit anytime."

"Wave? What are you talking about Tobi?" Sakura asked.

"Obito!" Obito corrected her.

"Well I like that name." She simply shrugged and Obito slyly smirked but continued.

"See to put it simply... whole timeline is messed up. Someone who have the knowledge of this timeline went back in the time. And rather than leaving the past as it should be, they are changing it. This whole time and space thing is very sensitive topic to argue about. For example, many things could have been changed in the past. There are so many outcomes. Like if Rin never died or the rock never crushed on me or she was never kidnapped, then maybe i would have have never included myself for the Tsukoyomi project or helped Madara. A slight change in past, just a minimal one can change whatever future the people hold. And that's what happening or will happen." Obito explained.

"Umm.." Naruto scratched his head. Everyone's attention snapped to him. "Eh... so you are saying that someone went in the past... changed few things and that's why and that's why you people are alive?'

"Well you can pay attention sometimes-" "HEYYY!!" "-though yeah it is part of it. Now that I am aware of, no one other than Sasuke can do that as he is the only Rinnegan holder. But he's here so, he's not the one." Obito said.

"Though we have a suspicion!" Neji informed, arms stilled folded across his chest.

"Who?" It was Sasuke this time.

"Danzo!" Itachi replied.

"Hn! He is dead. You should have known about this. If you don't, ask Tobi, he was there." Sasuke replied and gave a side glance to his brother.

"Obito!!" Obito corrected again with a sigh.

"Whatever" Sasuke grunted. "The main point is, he's dead."

"You're right. He died by committing suicide. He died in hope to eliminateyou thinking he was doing that for Konoha. Since he was running out of option and used reverse four symbols sealing, a fuinjutsu (sealing jutsu), he sealed it on his chest." Itachi replied this time.

"How do you know?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi just shrugged and continued,

"He used it as a last resort but failed to catch Sasuke in its range because... well... Tobi here warned Sasuke before he released it. Sasuke would've died without Tobi.

Sasuke scoffed at that.

"It's Obi- huh! Nevermind!" Obito grumbled.

"Hn!" Itachi smiled.

"Umm... " Sakura grabbed everyone's attention. " So... How's everything related to him? Danzo I mean?"

"Oh Yeah! That fuinjutsu Danzo used... The reverse four symbol seal is the stronger version of four symbol seal. The user place it on their chest and sets it to activate upon their deaths. It releases four symbol from their body and forms a large black sphere around them. Anything caught inside is sealed inside the corpse's body, i.e. WITHIN THE USER'S CORPSE." Obito replied.

"Exactly! That mean-" Naruto was cutoff.

"But something went wrong." Neji interrupted.

"Huh??"

"Danzo well being the man he was, changed the formula for the jutsu. If the sealing would have worked properly, his corpse would have been there, but it wasn't." Obito explained. "He changed the formula, his body vanished after he pulled off the jutsu. I didn't thought much about it that time, thought maybe that's how it worked in reality." Obito frowned, "but that's where i was wrong about that."

"So? How come this .. everything related to time is .... connected to him. Maybe his body was just..destroyed?" Sakura asked.

" That's not how that sealing work actually! his body too... was sealed somewhere." Obito replied. After looking at the questioning looks he furrowed his brows. " His body was sealed in the other dimension. A place similar to the place where Kaguya was sealed. A place where he can travel maybe other dimensions or time."

"Maybe? Hmm. How do you know these things?" Kakashi asked.

"We're alive since one year. and strangely enough for us, when we opened our eyes, we were at the same place we died. I was there, where Kaguya was sealed into the moon. We, Danzo and me, met there. He was alive too. And whatever he was planning, it wasn't good. He was up for the revenge. He was the dark side of the village, the one who could do anything for the village, whether it's stealing eyes or killing innocents who he thought were danger. It is still a mystery what he was doing in that dimension. I tried to track him back to where he came from. But i couldn't. " He exhaled a frustrated sigh. " I came back here, and tracked them." He pointed towards Itachi and Neji. "I had two sets of memories. One that actually happened and one that never happened. And because of that we pass out unexpectedly. It's all havoc now."

"You mean, you all have two sets of memories?" Sakura aksed. Her eyes widened when they nodded. "That's..."

"...confusing? messed up? chaotic? complicated?" Obito asked with a chuckle. 

"Yeah that!"

"It is. We lose our conscious unexpectedly anytime! Our mind and body is not able to link each other now. It is taking time to adapt to the current situation but we hope that it will in the future." Itachi replied.

"Well! That's abou-" Obito stiffened when he sensed a familiar chakra. That familiar chakra of THAT familiar person who should be dead. Who shouldn't be alive. Obito looked at Itachi and both of their eyes flicker to crimson. Neji was looking in a particular direction with his byakugan and Sasuke and Naruto were again having their eye talk. Kakashi sighed.

'Here comes another trouble! Why can't they just be in peace! '

"Kakashi-" Obito turned towards Kakashi.

"I know! Leave the village to me. The ANBU will give you the back up you need." Kakashi replied.

"I'm counting you on that!" With that, Obito jumped out of the window followed by others.

"..."

"..."

"....Well Itachi? How can I help you?" Kakashi asked.

"Hn! I need a permission regarding something. since you're the Hokage now, like it or not, you'veto agree on that."

"And what that will be?" Kakashi raised his eyebrows.

"It is about someone!"

"..."

"A person needs protection. And protection from someone and for something"

"It is not you to talk in circle Itachi."

"Sakura! She needs protection. Just.... Trust me.. She ... needs to do something only she can do. and that's why her life's in danger. I am here to help through it."

"You know that she's my student don't you! She's just like a daughter to me. Come straight to the point Itachi. Why Is Her Life In Danger?" Kakashi asked.

"... Because she's the one. She is the one who's changing everything."


	7. Chapter 7

"If I give up my life

And be a star so bright

Would you promise to come

And tell me your wishes at night?

When you'll tell me your wishes

I'll collapse in pieces

I'll give you my life

I'll die for you twice"

Life is all about the change, now isn't it? A day ago she was just sitting on her sofa eating ice cream with her best friend as Ino cried her eyes out, again, because of Sai, and watching movies. But just in one day, her life took three sixty degree turn. Dead people are alive. Sakura's eyes flickered to Neji and Obito. She pumped more chakra to her feet so that she could match their pace. Even after dead for so long, they are energetic as ever. She noticed that Itachi wasn't with them. Itachi Uchiha... Sakura exactly never talked to him. Just saw him once or twice that too when they were fighting. His eyes never betrayed what he was thinking inside, Now too, One can't predict what he is thinking. His eyes used to be colder and that fake killing aura and blood lust around him. Now he is totally different.though one could totally differentiate the old Itachi to the new one. She never really had a opinion about him from her early days. She never really thought about it. She used to love Sasuke, and him killing their family, pushing Sasuke in utter darkness, well she started hating him too. But when she came to know the exact reason, she felt guilty too. She started respecting him for what he did. No, though she never pitied him. Obito said they were alive for an year or so, then why they didn't come earlier. Why now? This was one question that was running in her mind for long.

They were coming near, She noticed that Sasuke and Naruto were ahead of her. She pumped more chakra to catch them. Just then she noticed that there was a clearing. Naruto and Sasuke entered the clearing and when Sakura was about to do so, Neji held her back and then she saw Obito Joined her teammates too.

"What are you doing Neji? We need to go!" Sakura asked him.

"Sakura! We're going to be here."

"Why?" She furrowed her brows. Why would he ask her to do that? Unless he thinks... "You certainly don't think I'm weak now do you?" She asked angrily.

"No. I don't. But This is what we are supposed to do. And this is what I'm asked to do." He replied calmly.

"Asked? Who asked you to do that? And You do know that they are going to need us!" She asked yanking her arms off his grip.

" Sakura. Trust me. I mean no harm. We are simply doing what we are supposed to do."

Sakura frowned. She looked back to her teammates from the tree branch she was on. Why should't she be there? And what is this thing they are talking about! What is The Thing They are supposed to do? Damn!! This is all so confusing. She looked at them and then suddenly...

Sakura gasped "That's..."

~@~

"Obito!"

Obito scowled. Weren't they supposed to be dead. Especially HIM! He was, according to Naruto, was sealed with her.

"Zetsu! Why are you here? and HOW are you here?" Obito asked.

"Well, Nice to meet you too Obito. Though I was never pleased. Oh Shut up!" White Zetsu and black Zetsu replied.

"How are you here?" Naruto asked. "If i remember correctly, I threw you to seal you with your mom!"

"How can I forget, You were the brat who did that." Black Zetsu sneered.

"Just answer the damn question! You creep!" Naruto sneered.

"Ah! We were freed. Why are you telling them, don't!. Oh common where's the fun in that?" Black Zetsu and white Zetsu replied.

"Who?"

"Oh! You think I'm going to tell you?" White Zetsu mocked Obito.

"It was Danzo! Wasn't he?" Obito asked.

Both Zetsu(s) grinned evilly. "Oh! so you were There weren't you?" White Zetsu asked.

"Dammit! What is he exactly upto!" Obito muttered. "Tell me your purpose! Why did he freed you?"

"Oh! Just to continue what we were supposed to do. I will continue what my mother couldn't do!"

"And?"

"Well! There's something he asked us to do for him! To return the favor for what he did! And we will!"

"Hn! You think whatever he asked you to do, you can do that." Sasuke said as he relaxed his fighting stance. He loosened his collar with his fingers.

" Heh! You just forgot that we are still alive! You should have come when we'd died! ya know!' Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Why You Ungrateful Little Brats." Black Zetsu sneered. But later on smirked as he started entering the ground. " You will feel sorry later brat!"

This alarmed the three of them and the three of them maintained their fighting stance, aware of everything around them. Sasuke had activated his sharingan but he did't activated his rinnegan because his brother asked him to recharge it for something else. Obito has his eyes and he too had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. And Naruto was collecting nature energy for the sage modde. He opened his eyes and gasped.

"Jump! Below us!" He shouted.

The trio jumped in different directions as the vines shot upwards from the ground.

"You guys are interesting." Zetsu Grinned. Naruto scowled but then he noticed there was only White Zetsu. Black Zetsu had splitted off. He Looked around. Even his sage mode wasn't able to sense his whereabouts. The vines of White Zetsu started attacking them. They were dodging it Perfectly.

"Fire style: Great fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind style: Rasen Shuriken!"

This white zetsu is just wasting their time. Where did that Black one go. As Naruto was busy wondering about this and the vines which were trying to strangle him, he didn't noticed the Vine coming from behind. Sassuke noticed it and shouted,

"Naruto! Look out!"

"Huh??" He looked back at the vine just then,

"Shannaroo!!!" And then the vine and ground spluttered to pieces. Sakura dusted off her hands and scolded Naruto.

"What Naruto? Where is your Mind?"

"Just What I wanted!!" Black Zetsu emerged from the ground behind Sakura catching her off Guard. The vines Strangled her and held her tightly. Neji Jumped in front of Naruto and Sasuke. Obito followed the lead.

"Tch! I told you not to be reckless!" Neji scowled at Sakura.

"....urghhh!!!" Sakura groaned.

"Don't sweat it sweetie. The vines is sucking your chakra. You're not able to use it. And the stronger your chakra is, Stronger will be the vines." The white and Black Zetsu whispered in her ears.

"What do you want! Leave her ! now!!!" Naruto growled at him.

"You still didn't get it, do you? It's her we want! and it's the price for our freedom." Zetsu replied.

"W-What?"

"Killing her, is what Danzo wanted! And is what we will do!" Zetsu said.

The vines tightened around her. The chakra stated depleting her body. She tried to move her body with her physical body strength but the vines tightened more. She groaned.

Naruto was in Nine Tails mode and Sasuke Activated his Eternal Mangekyo sharingan. Just when both of them were going to attack him, thousand of crows surrounded them.

"What the-"

"Itachi!"

Itachi stood between them. His back was towards Sasuke and Naruto. Sasuke marched towards his brother and asked him.

"Why did you do that?" he spat.

"Sasuke! Is you rinnegan ready"? Sasuke knew this voice. This means his brother was on real serious business here.

"Yeah it is." he replied honestly without asking any questions.

"Good. Stand back and activate when I give you the signal " with that Itachi took out his katana and ran forward with a speed still unknown to Sasuke.

Itachi ran forward and then vanished and came back behind back zetsu slicing him in two. the white zetsu appeared behind him and caught his ankle with his Vines which Itachi Cut off real quick. Black zetsu merged again easily and smirked at Itachi. The vines started attacking Itachi which Itachi dodged skillfully.

"Amaterasu!"

He set the white zetsu on black flames. He knew that the flames will not work on the Balck Zetsu. He will simply suck it in him. Now he was standing in front of Sakura guarding her and black zetsu in front of him.

"I know why you're insisting on protecting her Itachi!" Black zetsu mocked him.

Itachi gritted his teeth and took his fighting stance. Black jetsu laughed hard as he looked at his burning half and then looked at Itachi.

" You didn't thought I will come unprepared ?" He asked and just then more Zetsus appreared behind him. They were never a problem. They were weak. But the sheer number of them always give him the advantage.

"Tch!" Itachi grunted and turned their back as he set the vines around Sakura on black flames and freed her. He could have done that earlier. But he can't use more chakra. He's gonna pass out soon. This whole time drift has exhausted him. Sakura was half asleep. He carried her to the place where Sasuke and others were standing. Obito, Neji and Naruto were fighting the zetsus.

"Sakura!"

They tried to wake her up. They patted her cheeks and said

"Sakura!"

"...ngh!"

She opened her eyes, half lidded and tried to sit up. She was weak. Her seal activated as it slowly started refilling her chakra reserves. She tried to stand and both Sasuke and Itachi helped her. She felt weakness. Her seal was taking time to heal her. She stood up properly and pried her hands off.

" I.. I can .. I.. I will be able to..defend myself."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked.

"Y-Yeah" She replied with a nod. He gave her a nod and turned towards the 'commotion', as he would put it.

Then time slowed down. She saw everything happening at once. Itachi was by her side. Three portals opened in front of Obito, Naruto and Neji, and someone stepped in the clearing. He had his hood covering his face. He caught the three of them off guard and stabbed rod in their body and restricted their movements. Zetsus were stilled. And he started running towards them. She heard Itachi shouting Sasuke's name and Sasuke turned towards them. He nod towards his brother and activated his Rinnegan. She could feel the air sucked behind her and saw a portal opening behind her. Just then she felt someone behind her. By the time she looked behind her, she was pushed inside the portal into the dark abyss. The last image she saw was bewildered face of Sasuke and Naruto. The hooded man had stopped and Itachi. He was muttering something to her. And then the portal closed and darkness engulfed her.

~@~ 

 

The wooden targets were hanged all over the forest of cedars. They were the size of a human head, and two black circles were painted on them. Itachi was standing alone in the deserted wood. A kunai was caught in between each finger. Itachi's weapons were eight kunai in total.

"Fuu..."

He closed his eyes, and slowly exhaled from the bottom of his stomach. As he crouched he kicked the ground with all his strength. His body, which was revolving in midair, turned upside down. He quickly extended both his arms, which he had kept in position bracing his chest, to left and right. Eight flashes scattered in eight directions.

Clack! clack! clack!

A light sound echoed around Itachi, who had landed. The sharp blades had pierced the middle of every target that was hanged in the cedar wood.

"Splendid!"

At the voice that he suddenly heard from behind, Itachi turned around, gulping. A black haired boy was standing there. He was clearly older than Itachi. As an evidence, a Konoha forehead protector was glittering silver on the boy's forehead.

"How old are you?" the boy asked him.

Itachi didn't know his name, but he knew him by sight. Just like him, he was a shinobi from the Uchiha clan.

"Five"

"At that age, to show such kunai-handling to that extent, you're a great guy"

While saying this, the boy held out his hand to him.

"I'm Uchiha Shisui"

"I'm..."

"I know you. Itachi of the Konoha Military Police Force commanding officer Fugaku-san."

At Shisui, who had addressed him with a friendly attitude, Itachi was perplexed. Probably this feeling appeared on his face, because Shisui opened his eyes wide, shrugging.

"I had heard that you were a strange child that doesn't want to chat very much with people, but apparently you're really obstinate."

"If there's no use doing it..."

"Ah, don't say that" Laughing, Shisui disappeared. Itachi's eyes followed his presence. The sky. Revolving in midair just like Itachi did some time ago, Shisui extended both his arms wide to left and right. Eight flashes dashed.

"!" Itachi opened his eyes wide.

"How was it?" Shisui, who had landed, grinned. "My kunai-handling is pretty nice, too, isn't it?"

Right near Itachi's kunai that were stuck before, there were stuck new kunai. Naturally, Shisui had thrown them.

"I've seen from quite some time that you came here to train every day." Shisui, who had slowly got closer, offered his hand to him again.

"Make friends with me"

He had a comfortable tone of voice that won him over very naturally. Itachi held out his hand as if he had been invited. Warmth enveloped his palm.

"Nice to meet you, Itachi" While he looked at Shisui, who had a smile covering his whole face, he was bewildered by the fact that he had accepted this strangely over-familiar shinobi.

\---

"What the heck are the adults doing until late at night...?"

Itachi threw his naïve doubts at his friend. Shisui, who was his only friend, stared at the Hokage Rock in the distance while smiling softly for the gossip. The two of them were sitting on a cliff in the outskirts of the village. Only the two of them knew that place.

There was a river under that precipitous cliff. The river streamed outside the village from behind the Hokage Rock, meandering. When it arrived nearby the place where Itachi and Shisui were sitting, both its water current and its depth were quite something.

"I'm a genin."

Shisui told him still with a distant look. When he turned his face towards Itachi, who was listening to him silently, Shisui continued with a calm tone.

"That's why I'm going to appear in the adults' meetings."

"Eh?"

"They are regularly held at the Naka Shrine." He wanted to ask him what in the world did they talk about, but feeling startled he didn't utter a word. At Itachi's silence, Shisui cast his eyes down.

"It's better if you don't know it yet." Itachi stared at Shisui, who said that averting his eyes, still with a feeling of uneasiness. That oppressing atmosphere that ran in the clan...

"Make it be just a guess" Itachi muttered many times over in his mind.

\---

"How was school?"

Shisui said while wiping the sweat off his forehead with a towel. Itachi was moving his shoulders up and down violently, and breathing heavily. There was a park in the middle of the district. They two had already run for about four hours. But it wasn't just running. It was full speed. They improved their speed endurance while running. People who hadn't had any shinobi training wouldn't last even five minutes. While he kept an eye on Shisui, who's face was more composed than his, Itachi opened his mouth.

"Training with you, Shisui, is way more profitable."

"Since you entered the Academy, you've become pretty good at talking"

"I haven't changed"

"Surely you're always pretty impertinent for a kid." Shisui said, laughing, and put a hand on Itachi's head.

"Your classmates can't match you, right?"

"..." Itachi didn't answer.

"Can they?" Shisui asked surprised.

As his head was being held down Itachi shook his head from side to side.

"I don't know what kind of grades my classmates get. Since I saw their movements in the schoolyard, there hadn't been anyone who I considered amazing..."

"So you can see nothing but yourself?"

He thought that maybe it was as Shisui was saying. Itachi couldn't see as far as his classmates. How should he be? What should he do to become a shinobi better than anybody else? He had been thinking about that ever since he was a child. He couldn't afford to think about the others.

"There's no one at school more amazing than you. I'm sure of it." Shisui ruffled Itachi's head.

"Stop that" He brushed his hand away.

"If you're in it, the Uchiha's future is safe."

As he said it, laughing, Shisui's smiling face looked somehow lonely.

\---

"Well then, I think we'll talk about the topic "submission of the written complaint to the Hokage against the clan's isolation district", continuing from the last time."

Without finishing listening to Yashiro's words, all the participants began talking at once. People who ought to show their stubborn attitude against Konoha, people who said that they had to advance quietly making sure of the circumstances calmly, people who guessed from everyone's expression which opinion they should agree with. Even if each speculation was different, it seemed that everyone thought that they wanted to actively take part in this place.

Suddenly he felt someone's gaze on him. Itachi immediately shifted his eyes to it.

It was Shisui.

His eyes met with Shisui, who had sunk into silence with a look of someone that couldn't get used to the atmosphere of that noisy place. At the smiling face of his close friend, he felt an indescribable feeling of loneliness.

The evil feelings of the clan were whirling here. Also Itachi couldn't get used to it. Even I have the same feeling... In his smile in response to Shisui, Itachi put his own heart.

\---

"Fuu!" Shisui took a breath full of ambition, and smiled looking at Itachi's direction.

"As I thought, I'm giving it all in this training with you."

Looking at his friend talking cheerfully, Itachi felt that his mind and body were being replenished as he became drenched with sweat. For roughly three hours he had been continuing their stern fighting, as to dispel the resentment he felt during his mission. After a break of about three minutes after they had settled a match, they had already gone though fifteen of them. The result was six wins for Itachi, and nine wins for Shisui. The rule was that they could do anything else as long as they didn't use the Sharingan. The Sharingan was a great waste of chakra. They had disabled it just because wanted to carry out the fights for as long as possible. The shuriken that they threw clashed in the sky, and flew in the wrong direction. Neither Itachi nor Shisui were looking at things like the direction in which they went. They were already flying towards the opponent, and reducing the distance between them.

"Tchi!"

"Ha!"

The yells of the two overlapped. Their bodies, which had clashed in midair, crashed onto the ground entangling themselves together. Shisui, who had quickly adjusted his stance, delivered a kick towards Itachi, who was sitting with one knee raised. He held out his right arm and protected himself right away. In Itachi's field of vision, who shook for the impact of the kick, there was the image of his friend agilely forming a seal.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Shisui yelled, and a huge fireball was spouted out from his mouth. Itachi's lips, who was staring at the flame that was came flying towards him, took the shape of a smile. As he had expected from Shisui... His heart pounded. The men who could emit such a tremendously huge fireball within his clan were probably only his father and Shisui, Itachi chuckled in his mind. Now on his counterattack wouldn't make it in time. Self-defence would also be late. A direct hit.

"No way!" Shisui yelled with a spontaneous look. Itachi, who had been struck by the tremendous fireball, burst to smithereens, turned into innumerable crows, and attacked all at once. Body Replacement Technique. The real Itachi had gone around behind him. Before Shisui, who had sensed his presence, turned around, he applied a kunai at the scruff of his neck.

"You win" Shisui muttered, frustrated. 

In the end they did thirty-five fights. The result was eleven wins for Itachi, and twenty-four wins for Shisui.

"You're not fit to be a genin anymore." Shisui said, drinking up the water of water bottle.

"Has it been decided that you'll skip also this year's Chūnin Exam?"

"Yes." Itachi answered, inclined his water bottle and put some fresh water in his mouth.

"You said that your jōnin in charge is Minazuki Yūki." Itachi nodded silently.

"He's jealous of you, isn't he? He doesn't like your talent, so he refuses to recommend you for the Chūnin Exam, right?"

"Even if he thought these things, it can't be helped."

It was meaningless, no matter what Yūki thought and if he didn't recommend Itachi. Even this year, Itachi couldn't take part to the Chūnin Exam. That was the reality.

"After all, you're already ten..."

"Let's quit this conversation." Even if they had continued, his frustration would only worsen.

"Speaking of you, how's going with that girl, Uchiha Izumi?"

Itachi stared with round eyes at Shisui, who had forcibly changed the topic.

"Though usually it's hard to understand what you're thinking about, such thing is easy to understand."

"What do you mean?"

"Try look at your face in the mirror."

He turned his eyes away from Shisui, who had made a mischievous smile while saying it.

"I'm thinking nothing in particular."

"At any rate, it seems that the moment I said the name "Izumi" you became awfully sensitive."

Sensitive... Did he really do that? He had no doubt that Izumi was one of his few friends. He had only that feeling, but when he was pressed again in this way by Shisui, he felt something different. But it didn't necessarily mean that he was feeling something like love. He didn't understand well the main point himself.

"Apart from that, how are your father's conditions?"

"You avoided the discussion." Shisui said with a grin to Itachi, who had counterattacked.

"As usual." Shisui answered while his bright expression clouded a little. His father had lost a leg in the previous Great War, and now he was confined to bed having caught an illness from this injury. In Shisui's family they were three: him, his father and his mother. The family finances were supported by Shisui's incomes.

"In these days he's remarkably emaciated, he doesn't even recognise me."

"Is that so..."

"Well, human beings die sooner or later. I'm ready." In front of Shisui's sad determination, Itachi couldn't find any words to say.

\---

His friend's fist hit Itachi's chest.

"There're no other guys you trust except me, right?"

"Uh huh..."

"If you enter the Anbu, you'll get closer to the heart of the village. In that case, you'll become an irreplaceable existence for the clan."

Itachi wondered what did those words meant. Shisui and Itachi shared the same will. Their will was that as long as it was for the clan's peace, it didn't matter if they sacrificed their lives.

In the meetings that were secretly held every month at the Naka Shrine, the atmosphere was steadily becoming unbearable each meeting. The resentment against the village was already at its limits, Itachi and Shisui knew that. They had to avoid at any cost at least the accidental discharges. That was a shared knowledge. An insurrection of the clan would mean dragging the village into a war. The previous Great War and the Nine-Tail's attack. Having overcome two dangers, the village was a place that had finally began building peace. If the Uchiha clan caused an incident here, the village would be enveloped by sorrow and death again. Only one Anbu was from the Uchiha clan... As Shisui said, Itachi would surely become an irreplaceable existence for the clan.

"The fact that you'll join the Anbu is a dream for me, too."

"A dream?"

"The Uchiha and the village would become brethren in its true meaning. I thought that we needed a shinobi of the clan who'd have a deep connection with the heart of the village for this. You'll be an existence that will frankly convey the clan's affliction and hopes. If you join the Anbu, you'll be able to carry out this duty. You, who wish for the clan's peace more than anyone else, will surely be successful." Itachi gasped a little.

In seeing this, Shisui's face became suddenly cheerful.

"I'm a jōnin that belongs to the village, you a member of the Anbu, we both don't belong to the Military Police Force. We can keep an eye on the clan from an objective point of view."

"My father and our other clansmen have secluded themselves in their own shell, and they can't see the outside world."

"Itachi... " Shisui called his friend's name as if he was spitting out his agony from inside his chest. "The people of the clan have confined themselves in a small world, and they don't even try to see the outside world. The fact that their own destiny doesn't open up will increase their grudge, and they'll say that it's the village's fault. By simply saying that it's the village's fault, Hokage-sama's fault, the Senju clan's fault, they don't even try to take advantage of the situation. But..."

He opened his closed eyelids, and stared at Itachi.

"You're different."

At Shisui's words, he gulped.

"You always cut through your destiny with your own strength. You graduated from the Academy in one year, you passed through the Chūnin Exam alone, and now you're trying to enter the Anbu. You don't resign yourself to your destiny because of the clan."

Was it really so? Itachi didn't understand it well. He felt that he was only intently running through the path he had to follow. And only because of that his feelings hadn't changed.

"You could become even Hokage..." Shisui smiled.

 

"As the first Uchiha Hokage, you'll become an existence that will break off the destiny between the clan and the village from its root, I believe it."

Itachi's heart throbbed fast. The dream of becoming Hokage... It was a dream he hadn't talked about with anybody. It was a dream he hadn't talked about even with Shisui, who was his one and only friend. He hadn't said it to anyone because he was afraid that it would disappear altogether if he mentioned it. This dream had become words from Shisui's mouth and had reached his own ears. Surprise and delight immediately overwhelmed Itachi's chest.

"I'll be your friend forever."

"Shisui..."

"I can't wait to see how far you'll grow up from now on."

Itachi frantically kept back that welling up heat coming from inside his chest. He had never experienced a thing like crying in front of others, not even once in his life so far. He thought that shinobi should never disclose their own feeling.

Well... He had cried in front of people just once. He was four that time. It was when he had been to the battlefield in which a war had just finished, being brought along by his father. While the pouring rain fell down, when he looked at the mountain of abandoned corpses, he couldn't hold back his tears. Even now he remembered that he was frantically suppressing his shivering in order to not let his father sense it.

Itachi hadn't changed from that time. He had to avoid a war, no matter what. Things like wars shouldn't happen twice. Itachi had taken this resolve in his mind that time, when he was a four-year-old boy crying as he was hit by the rain. For this reason he was an Anbu. For this reason he'll be Hokage.

"You'll do it, Itachi." At his friend's hopeful voice, Itachi nodded with all his strength, putting a feeling of gratitude into it.

\---

"Kohinata Mukai..."

Itachi called instinctively the name of the strong enemy in front of his eyes. While he didn't understand it himself, his legs took a step forward.

"What? D'you want me to kill him?" Surely in that situation it would be no wonder if he had been taken like this. What kind of counterattack was left for Itachi now that he had been stubbornly smashed by the Gentle Fist, and the flow of the chakra inside his body had been stopped? Without any kind of plan, going on was an action that he couldn't even complain if it had been judged as an act of brutality. But his legs didn't stop their advancement. Although he didn't even remember his orders, he simply took a step forward towards Mukai.

"In this case, I'll kill him, just as you wish."

"Guuu!" Mukai poured his strength onto the hand that was grabbing Shisui's neck. He intended on smashing his Adam's apple.

"Stop that!" Itachi yelled, and the Sharingan sparkled in his eyes.

"There's no way that such a blatant genjutsu'd work on me." Mukai said, and turned his face away from Itachi.

In front of his eyes... There was his friend's face.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan..." Shisui muttered.

His friend's eyes, who had turned crimson, had a shape different from the Sharingan Itachi had seen so far. The Sharingan drew a small black dot in the centre of the eye, and in the circle, or rather in the outer circle, some comma-shaped dots floated in the shape of tomoe. Its strength changed depending on the number of the commas, but this shape itself was common within the clan. However, Shisui's was different. The commas of the three tomoe were united together, growing larger, the small black dot in the centre of the eye had disappeared, and had moulded into a crimson hole. If a normal Sharingan's percentage of red and black was in the order of eight versus two, that of Shisui's current eyes seemed to be a competition of five versus five.

Shisui's eyes and Mukai's eyes met perhaps for less than a thousandth of a second. Being caught completely in a normal Sharingan or not was just a matter of a moment. Shisui didn't miss that moment. Surely Mukai should have fallen into the genjutsu...

"Mukai!" Shisui, who had untied his restriction, shouted surprised. In front of his eyes, there was Mukai's figure collapsing while emitting a splash of blood from his stomach. Itachi stared at him standing stock-still. He had sliced his own stomach. The moment Shisui activated his Sharingan, Mukai, who had stiffened his body, had fetched a kunai from his breast pocket and had suddenly torn his stomach apart in a straight line.

"Pull yourself together Mukai!" Shisui yelled while holding Mukai's head, crouching.

"I'm a spy of the other village... if somethin' meddles with my brain, a technique activates so that I'll end my own life. I can't be helped anymore." Mukai had a coughing fit, and blood gushed out of his mouth.

 

"I-it's the first time I've seen a guy that catches people in an ocular technique like that... what the heck was that?"

"..."Shisui didn't answer.

"Is it an Uchiha secret technique..." Worrying about Shisui, who was faltering, Itachi called Mukai.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"T-to think that things turned out to be like this... T-the things I did, they're things that I decided only by my own resolve... my wife and the brats have nothin' to do with it..."

"Do you mean that the betrayal is just your own crime?"

"Maybe it's askin' too much, but..." His trembling hand looked for something in his breast pocket. Itachi fetched the object of his intention, brushing Mukai's fingers aside. He picked one cigarette from the pack, and held it out to Mukai's mouth.

"F-fire..." This time, Shisui fetched a lighter from his pocket, and lit the point of the cigarette. When he inhaled deeply holding the cigarette in his mouth, and the smoke reached the depths of his lungs, Mukai blew out the smoke as if he was savouring it.

"What a sad sight for the death of a shinobi... I'll be waitin' on the other side..." The hand that was holding the cigarette between its fingers fell, losing all its strength, and Mukai stayed still.

"It's over." Shisui said, his voice trembling with tiredness. Itachi nodded silently and changed his reply.

"About your Sharingan of before..." Shisui muttered still staring at Mukai's face.

"You'll keep the secret with the guys of the village, won't you?"

"Yeah."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan..." Shisui said, and his eyes reflected again that strange pattern of the Sharingan.

"When the time comes, I'll tell you everything." Itachi felt an irresistible attraction towards the unknown power that his friend was keeping to himself.

\---

 

"Do you have a minute?"

On his way home after the meeting ended, Itachi, who was walking detached from his father, was called out by Shisui. His father, who wasn't sure that his son had been called, looked back, and noticed his son's friend.

"What is it, Shisui?"

"I'd like to talk with your son for a little while..."

Fugaku, who looked alternatively at Shisui and his son, said only "Don't be too late.", and began walking in the street at night alone.

"Shisui..." When there were just the two of them, Itachi called his friend's name.

"I understand you so much it hurts." his friend said with a crease between his eyebrows, and looked bitter from the depth of his heart.

"Yashiro is the head of the party that promotes the coup d'état. For that man the people of the village are all enemies." The rash remarks he had been attacked with some time ago were ringing inside his ears even now. Itachi bowed his head as if to turn his eyes away from Yashiro's figure that was floating in his mind.

"Like you joined the Anbu, I started to move, too."

"What do you mean?"

"Demanding it directly to the Hokage-sama, I obtained the jurisdiction of investigating the clan's internal condition independently."

What the hell did it mean investigating the clan's internal condition? Itachi was perplexed for those words that he couldn't understand right away, and Shisui, realising that, opened his mouth.

"In order not to let the clan increase its turbulent movements any further, I'll be dispensed from common missions. The clan's dissatisfaction will explode. To prevent it before it happens, with the firm promise that I can raise an action with my own discernment I obtained a position as a member of the Anbu. But that's a thing in name, I'm treated as under the Hokage-sama's direct control. That's why not even your father and the others know that I joined the Anbu, and the people who know that I'm a member of the organization as well are few."

"Don't tell me that you also told the Hokage-sama..."

"Don't worry, I hadn't went as far as telling him about the coup d'état." If the village knew the clan's conspiracy, he would clearly see that there wouldn't be a situation in which both parties would mutually restrain each other like now.

 

"Itachi, you from inside the organization of the Anbu, and I from the position of a shinobi under the Hokage-sama's direct control, from now on we'll fight to stop any accidental discharge of the clan."

"I won't forget this pact with you, no matter what." Shisui held out his fist. Itachi pushed out his fist, making them meet.

"We have to stop a coup d'état at all costs." At Shisui's firm voice, Itachi nodded in approval.

\---

He had been called by Shisui at the usual cliff.

It was already midnight. Both the village and the district were asleep. However, the eyes of the Anbu that were watching the district were wide awake. During his mission of guarding the clan, he had memorised all the angles of view of the surveillance cameras. Using the slight interval that was created in the angle between the cameras, he had already worked out a route to move freely through the district. He had only told Shisui about the surveillance of the Anbu and the route of blind spots. Shisui was the only shinobi he could trust. He'd never reveal this thing to other people. Also Shisui had to get to the cliff following the route of blind spots. Nobody knew about their meeting. Itachi left the district, evaded the eyes of the surveillance cameras and ran. The moon's last quarter gleamed almost at the zenith. Under the stars that twinkled as if they were about to fall, he was nothing but run choosing the darkness. Suddenly the wood opened, and the cliff of his intention appeared. On the point of the desolate rock, there was a human figure. The one who was standing there showing him his back was looking at the flow of the large river that could be seen below the cliff. Itachi immediately rushed towards him, and stopped his feet behind him.

"I made you wait."

"I just came here, too." Shisui said turning around, and his face was clearly emaciated. A slight shadow had appeared below his eyes, and also his cheeks were slightly thin. His chin, which was somehow pointy in the old days, showed more traces of overwork than an adult's.

"You look extremely tired."

"That's because of various reasons..." A shadow that he couldn't hide was clinging on Shisui's face, who had cast his eyes down. Sympathising with his best friend, Itachi said in a quiet voice:

"Even if I said I'd move together with you, I left everything to you, I'm sorry."

"You couldn't neglect your missions. I'm a member of the Anbu as well, but I've been allowed by the Hokage-sama to move freely. It's natural that I'm working. You don't have to worry about me."His friend had told him so, but Itachi fully realised his own cowardice. While they had the common intention of prevent a clan's coup d'état before it happened, what the heck had he done? Shisui had obtained the authority of acting at his own discernment to investigate on the clan's intrigue, and investigated the clan's movements day and night. Unlike him, who had been swamped with everyday missions and had postponed the matter of the clan. And yet Shisui treated Itachi as a comrade. That's why even now he had met him outside the village, evading the eyes of the surveillance like this.

"When we get down to business, there's something I want to tell you."

Shisui's gaze, who had broke the ice, was abnormally sharp.

"You're being suspected by the clan."

"I knew even if you didn't tell me that."

"A shinobi of the clan has been ordered to guard you."

"What..." The clan spied Itachi. Moreover, Shisui said that it was a shinobi of the clan itself the one who had been assigned to this duty. Who, in the clan, had the authority of handing down orders to his fellow clansmen? His father.

"Don't tell me that such thing..."

"It's true, Itachi. I have no doubt because I witnessed that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I am the person who has been assigned to spy you." Shisui's words pierced his chest. His father had ordered Shisui to spy him?

"Using the fact that I'm your friend, three high officers of the Military Police Force have ordered me to guard you." Shisui said, answering the voice in Itachi's mind. Three high officers...

"Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka. Those guys suspect you. Because you and Yashiro have practically argued violently during the meeting." Shisui was implicitly telling him that it wasn't his father. But his father was in a position in which he could give orders to those three. Even if Yashiro and the others had ordered Shisui, it wasn't clear how far the origin of this order was. A dark suspicious, completely different from the feeling of love he felt towards his father's previous kind words, surged in Itachi's chest. Who the hell was his father really?

"There's no need to say such thing, but relax, because I'll report the information about you manipulating the facts properly."He had no doubts about Shisui.

"But the radical party will surely keep an eye on you."

"I'm prepared for it."

"This firmness is your virtue and weakness." Shisui said, laughing.

"That's what I like about you." His friend's eyes, who had looked up to the sky, watched the moon that floated in the dark night.

"You have the strength of never yielding your way of thinking, no matter what happens. As long as it's to carry out your intentions, no matter how strong is the power in front of you, you fight against it without hesitating. That's why I trust you. And..." Averting his eyes from the waning moon, and when he thought he had cast his eyes down, Shisui looked straight towards Itachi.

"I can tell you my decision frankly."

"What's the matter, Shisui?"

"Do you know what day is tomorrow?" Itachi nodded silently. There was a meeting of the clan.

The last time, his father had said that this meeting's main issue would be deciding the day in which they'd carry out the coup d'état. In short, in tomorrow's meeting the consensus of the clan would be confirmed, and their intention of jumping into action would be strengthened.

"If tomorrow's meeting takes place as usual, we won't be able to stop them anymore."

"What do you intend to do?"

"I think I'll attack your father on his way to the Naka shrine."

Itachi couldn't stop his heartbeat from increasing.

"Relax, I won't kill Fugaku-sama. I'll only put him under a genjutsu."

"That Sharingan you used that time with Mukai?"

"Exactly." Shisui's eyes sparkled crimson in the darkness. Then the three commas pattern that had risen on its surface got bigger.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan." After that, also Itachi examined those eyes. The existence of the Mangekyō Sharingan was told only in old documents of the Uchiha, and this power was recorded with the description that it surpassed a normal Sharingan by far. It was written that the people who practically awakened it were a handful, and a lot of ocular techniques of that field were unknown even for the clan.

"In the case of these eyes, he won't be able to defend against them, even if he's Fugaku-sama feared as "The Evil Eyes"."

"Supposing you put him under a genjutsu, what does it do in practice?"

"When I awakened these eyes, at the same time I mastered a technique. A technique named "Kotoamatsukami"."

"Kotoamatsukami..." At the sound of the words he himself had said, Itachi felt an indescribable ghostly feeling.

"In the condition in which an opponent that has been put under the genjutsu loses completely his self-awareness, I can manipulate him at will."

Itachi knew that basically something like an ocular technique was basically like that. The presence or absence of the self-awareness of a target was decided by the intentions of the shinobi that makes the operation. It's one of the two: either he makes the opponent fall into a circle of suspicions by suggesting the self-awareness to the target that he's been put under a technique, and puts him under the technique in this way, or he gradually puts him under a technique without him being aware of it, and it can't be helped when the opponent notices it. The Kotoamatsukami falls under the case in which the target doesn't realise it. It wasn't especially strange for an ocular technique. 

 

"The strong point of this technique is in the time of putting it into operation and the effects of the technique, which are amplified by the strength of the Mangekyō Sharingan." Shisui added. Itachi kept staring silently at the fantastic Sharingan of his friend, urging him to explain.

"An ocular technique of a normal Sharingan requires the direct act of pouring an amount chakra when your eyes and your target's meet. But with the Mangekyō Sharingan it's possible to eliminate this process. You can pour your chakra only by looking into the opponent's eyes, even if your eyes don't make contact with his. Moreover, its quantity is many times more than when you use the Sharingan. For this reason the target falls into its ocular technique in an instant, and he doesn't understand it, no matter what happens."

"Do you mean that the moment the enemy sees you, he's already under your jutsu?"

"Exactly."

"Will you use that with my father?" Shisui nodded firmly.

"If only I put him under the Kotoamatsukami, I'll be able to tell everyone to stop the coup d'état with Fugaku-sama's mouth. Moreover, in his condition Fugaku-sama himself will be able to think that those are his thoughts coming from the depths of his heart."

"Do you mean that you'll rewrite the mind of the ringleader?"

"The only thing that makes me hesitate is the fact that he's your father."

"Don't worry about a thing like that." Itachi said. As long as it's to stop the coup d'état, Itachi would do it with pleasure, even if he acted to correct his father's heart. Only Shisui could put it into practice, though.

"Don't come to tomorrow's meeting, Itachi."

"Why?"

"You've been suspected by the guys of the radical faction. If Fugaku-sama suddenly changes his behaviour, you'll be the first to be suspected. If you don't happen to be present in the place of the meeting, those guys won't know what to do.» «Do you mean that they'd attack me?"

That may be all right, Itachi thought.

He had learned during the years since he'd become a shinobi that sometimes a small battle can't be avoided, to avoid a bigger battle. To erase all the conflicts from this world, a precious sacrifice was needed.

"If it means that they'll attack, I'll just reject them."

"Yashiro and the others are no match for you. But we have to prevent the fact that they'd cancel that important meeting because of a skirmish."

"I believe that as stubborn as they are they'll make the meeting change suddenly as they made my father change."

"Yeah." Shisui grabbed Itachi's shoulders.

"If everything goes well, the clan's zeal for a coup d'état will weaken. I'll defeat Fugakusama, and I'll gradually increase the anti-war comrades in the clan as a start."

"Isn't there anything I can do?"

"Wait here 'till the end of the meeting."

"But"

"I'll surely make it." Shisui showed him a strong smile.

"I'll come here to tell you what happened in the meeting. Wait until then. The next time we'll meet, it will be when the clan will take a step forward toward peace. After that, I'll need you power. A person like you that transcends the ability of the clan will become surely important later. Until then, your role is not dying, no matter what happens. For this reason, leave tomorrow to me. I beg you." His friend bowed his head very deeply.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to help you at an important time like that." Itachi said, and bowed his head as well. The grip of his friend's hands on his shoulders became very strong.

"Itachi... from tomorrow, our battle will begin."

"I was ready for it a long time ago."

\---

Seeing the young man standing in front of his eyes, Danzō thought that there was not enough darkness in him. His object of comparison was a shinobi from his same clan... Itachi.

"I hear that there's a meeting tomorrow at the Naka shrine?"

"In your case, who live in the darkness of the village, it's not strange that you know... Although I think so, it's also true that I'm the one who's dumbfounded by the fact that the secrets of the clan are known to this extent."

"This is the reality of the village."

"Does it mean that we're made to swim in it?"

"You're really quick-witted, Uchiha Shisui." Danzō called the name of the man standing in front of him. They were in front of the gate of residence of the Root. There was no one else besides the two of them.

"There's one thing I want to ask to a quick-witted shinobi like you."

"Since there's no much time left, be short..."

"Because it'd be bad if you lost your chance to attack Fugaku." A crease formed between Shisui's eyebrows.

"To this extent..."

"Don't misunderstand. It's not that I heard it from Hiruzen's mouth. Much less, it's not that Itachi revealed that to me. It's the result of the research of the people in my hands." A drop of sweat streamed down the smart young man's forehead.

"I can't say that manipulating Fugaku with your ocular technique and bring to an end the plan of the coup d'état is a good plan." Danzō looked at the young shinobi while putting his hand on his chin.

"Most part of the clan is already inclined towards carrying out the coup d'état. If Fugaku, the ringleader, turned against it, he would just add fuel to the fire."

"If we don't give it a try..."

"I've made it through a great war two times, I can assure you. Your plan will fail."

These solemn words sealed Shisui's mouth.

"Even if you succeeded in control Fugaku with your ocular technique and you used a temporary measure proposing a suspension at today's meeting, nothing will change. The radical party would only thing that Fugaku had changed his mind because he grew old and coward. Then they'll immediately chose another leader, and they'll put into practice the next stage of the plan. Listen, Shisui..."

Putting strength on his left eye, he looked straight through his limpid eyes.

"You can always replace a leader."

"Don't talk as if it already happened!"

The young man's pure rage looked nothing but a tantrum to Danzō.

"This Mangekyō Sharingan... I'd be able to use it more effectively than you."

"No!" Shisui jumped back and tried to measure the distance between them But... Only when his feet didn't move at his will, Shisui understood.

"Bugs are interesting animals." he said while taking a step forward.

"When a person is stung by a mosquito, he doesn't feel the pain, much less of having been stung. He becomes itchy only after it flew away..." He drew near Shisui with another step.

"The poison of scorpions and spiders sometimes leads even huge animals to death..."

"W-what did you do?"

"If we assume that there's a bug that has a poison equal to the one of a scorpion in its stinger, and it stings like a mosquito, it'd be intolerable for humans..."

Suddenly the landscape behind Shisui flickered, and a man appeared. He was wearing a White Tiger mask. Shisui's face, who was trembling all over, revolved slowly, and looked at the man over his shoulder. Danzō ignored him, and spat some words to the man in the White Tiger mask.

"What was your name now?"

"It's Sugaru."

"Is that so..." With other few steps he closed the distance between him and Shisui. Danzō walked without hesitation.

"This man is from the Aburame clan. Since you're so smart, if I tell you this there's no need to explain further."

"Ku..." When he tried to move his body somehow, Shisui clenched his teeth. His brave figure was so pitiable that Danzō's lips crooked in a spontaneous smile.

"Relax, it's not a poison for which you die immediately. There will be enough time left to pull out both those eyes of yours." He was already at Shisui's distance. If he stretched his hand, he'd touch his face.

"Because you'll soon adapt, they're more fresh when you pluck them off while you're alive, rather than extracting them from a corpse."

"Danzō... what are you... "

"This." As he said it, he extended his left arm. Digging his index and middle finger, and then his thumb, he touched Shisui's right eye. He pushed his upper eyelid with his index and middle finger, and pushed his lower eyelid with the thumb. His eyes, which were glittering slimily, were gradually exposed. Without a hint of hesitation, he thrust his fingers into his eye socket. He felt a warm sensation of his eyeball in his palm. Finally he had obtained the Mangekyō Sharingan... A great joy made Danzō's heart dance.

"Now, the other one." It was the moment he muttered this. When he thought that Shisui's left eye was sparkling slightly, he suddenly disappeared from his eyes.

"Body-Flicker..." Sugaru muttered.

"Quick, follow him!" The moment Danzō roared, Sugaru jumped. Also his subordinates, who were waiting for orders all around him, erased their presence.

"You mustn't let that guy live..." The one who would fulfil Danzō's longstanding desire to the end was Itachi. Shisui was nothing but a hindrance. Unless he had a thing beyond his means like the Mangekyō Sharingan, Danzō wouldn't be able to do it personally.

"Kill him... kill him without fail." His voice didn't arrive to his subordinates, who had already erased their sound. However, Danzō couldn't help but ordering them anyway.

\---

No matter the outcome, Shisui would come here.

Standing on the cliff of the appointment, Itachi was waiting alone for his friend's arrival. The sun was beginning to set at west, and the night would approach very soon. Only a little while until the beginning of the meeting. Shisui was supposed to control his father's thoughts with the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan right now. Even if the meeting had been short, there were two hours left. There was still time. Meanwhile, Itachi intended on thinking about the things happened so far. While they had the common intention of preventing a coup d'état for the peace of the village, until now he had always left the concrete action to Shisui alone. Obtaining the Third Hokage's permission, he had investigated the clan's moves by himself, and had thought the current plan. It was all Shisui's doing. Itachi had nothing to do with it. Shisui said that everything would be decided after he turned his father in a position against the coup d'état. It didn't look like the hot-blooded young people of the clan would change their attitude with his father's change of heart. With a slight commotion, probably it would result in a delay of the time of the execution of the plan, but even if they had adjusted their attitude and explored a different path, they would carry out the coup d'état. What would they do after they dismissed his father?

That was the most needed plan to achieve their will. That's why he only had to rely on Shisui for the time being. Itachi himself would think about that. He thought that only after that he'd be on an equal footing with Shisui.

"!!!" Suddenly he felt a presence behind him, and turned around.

"Shisui..." Itachi said in a blank daze for his friend's early arrival. Blood had streamed down his cheek from Shisui's closed right eyelid, and had dried.

"I'm sorry, Itachi." His friend came forward with unsteady steps, and stood in the point of the cliff surpassing Itachi. It was clear that something bad had happened. His friend had showed up to tell him. Itachi just waited in silence.

"I failed."

"What happened to your right eye?" Shisui didn't answer. He was staring at the cliff silently. In front of his friend, who wasn't continuing his story, Itachi desperately calmed down his agitated heart.

"I couldn't even come in contact with Fugaku-sama. The meeting has probably begun now. Maybe the essentials of the coup d'état will solidify in today's meeting. Our plan failed.» «It doesn't mean that it's already over." His friend's heart was broken...

"Who did that?"

"Danzō." His heart roared violently. Then, that wily man's face was brought back into his mind.

"There's a man among that man's subordinated that uses bugs, right?"

"Perhaps he was wearing a White Tiger mask, wasn't he?"

"I was poisoned by that guy. I can't be saved anymore." It was Sugaru. That man was from the Aburame clan. He used bugs.

"Itachi" Shisui's voice was so weak that it surprised him. His friend, who was standing in front of his eyes, looked smaller than all the other times he had met him until now. The presence of death was following close behind that man, who was just like an older brother to him, and had always kept running in front of Itachi so far, and was fighting with him for the clan's sake.

"Now... it's extremely unlikely that the coup d'état will be stopped. If Konoha caused a civil war, the other countries would certainly invade it. ...first of all, it would become a war." It's extremely unlikely that the coup d'état will be stopped.... Those were words that he didn't want to hear from Shisui's mouth. Was his friend giving up everything? Did death make people fragile to that point? Itachi, who was in the category of those who were destined to stay alive, didn't understand Shisui's heart. His friend looked at Itachi over his shoulder.

"I was about to use the Kotoamatsukami and try to stop the coup d'état... and I had my right eye stolen by Danzō. He doesn't trust me... Regardless of his appearance, he intends on protecting the village in his own way."

Itachi, who had seen old men like Danzō, knew it. He didn't trust anyone. What he thought was suspicious even for the Third, who was his old comrade in arms. That man protects the village in his own way. Itachi felt a shiver running down his spine.

"Maybe also my left eye will be targeted..." Shisui touched his safe left eye with his own palm. He made the point of his fingers pass under the eyelid, and put strength into them.

"Before it happens, I give this eye to you." He clutched the palm that he had put on his left eye.

In Shisui's left eye, who had took off his hand and revealed it, the eyelid had closed and fresh blood was streaming down. Shisui's eye had the Mangekyō Sharingan. Entrusting it to him meant that he was allowing him to use the power that lodged in that eye. His friend's sense of trust made Itachi's chest tighten.

Shisui... He didn't manage to call his friend's name.

If he said his friend's name, probably tears would overflow from his eyes. He couldn't cry in front of other people. All the more in front of his friend, who kept on talking being ready to death.

"...You're the only friend I trust. This village... the Uchiha name... protect them." He looked at the palm he was holding out, and moulded his chakra. One crow came flying from the sky, and stopped in Shisui's hand. The eye on his open palm become visible, he put it on the crow's left eye and they united as if it had been absorbed. Even if he had lost both his eyes and he couldn't see, Shisui, who had said that he entrusted his friend with his left eye, made a smile of relief. Even if he didn't saw that, the crow shook his neck vertically once, and flew into the sky that had turned dark.

"There's another thing I want to give you." Shisui turned his back to him again. "Before that, there's another thing I want you to know."

"What is it?" He spat out those words with great difficulty. But the words he really wanted to say were too much to come out. 'Don't die... Don't give up...' For his friend, who was already ready to die, those were nothing but convenient words. It was pointless saying them. That's why he didn't talk. Even so, Itachi kept yelling them in the depths of his heart. Don't die. If you give up, everything will be over. A shinobi fights until the very last. It's not over yet. However, Itachi's shouts didn't get to his friend.

"I killed my best friend with this very hands." Best friend? Who was he talking about? At that sudden confession, Itachi's thoughts stopped completely. Then Shisui continued unconcerned, leaving his friend behind. "It was a little while before I met you."

Itachi couldn't examine Shisui's expression, who had his back turned.

"There was a man that I can call my friend who I got to know at the Academy. He and I became genin together, so we fought together, being comrades of the same team. For the past me, he was the friend I could trust the most. However..."

At that point, Shisui interrupted his speech once. "That didn't last even one year." His shocking confession continued.

"It was the period when the Great War was about to end soon. Also the missions were much more severe than now. Our team was isolated in another country, in the middle of a mission in the post-war process that we were carrying out together with other teams. Then, unluckily, we encountered a lot of enemies, and we were cornered in a situation in which we waited for our death." It was a tale of before Itachi became a shinobi.

"Luckily I had been saved without problems because some comrades that had strayed from their path spotted me, but that friend of mine escaped too late. If only I had stretched my arm, he wouldn't have died."

Judging from Shisui's words, his friend had been probably killed by the enemies at a short distance. Life and death are decided only by a slight difference of destiny, and separated two people's aftermath. It wasn't Shisui's fault, of course. But Shisui regretted his friend's death as his own sin.

"It wasn't your fault."

"No..." Shisui said cutting Itachi's words off.

"I was envious of that friend of mine. He had been blessed with more talent than me, and I was jealous of him, who was always running in front of me. That's why that time I hadn't held out my arm, which I should have held out, on purpose... I killed him." He couldn't help but noticing that a darkness like that was lying dormant in Shisui's heart. What part of his best friend had he been watching until now? Itachi felt dizzy.

"The suffering of having killed my friend lasted for some months. It was that time. When I had met you." Even now Itachi remembered it clearly. When he had gone training alone in preparation for his entrance at the Academy, Shisui had appeared suddenly. Shisui was also the one who had suggested that they'd become friends.

"Seeing your figure, who earnestly strived in your training every day, I instinctively called you out. Spending time with you, who always run in front of you, little by little I recovered. I'm really thankful to you." I'm even more thankful... He didn't manage to say those words.

"The death of my friend gave me a new power. It's the Mangekyō Sharingan." His eyes got dizzy for the many unexpected turns. Without minding Itachi, Shisui continued. "In the eyes of the Uchiha, the strength is probably awakened due to the change of a violent feeling. Maybe my eyes awakened for the regret of having killed a friend."

"Regret of having killed a friend..."

"Yeah."

He had an unpleasant premonition. "Kill me, Itachi. Then you'll obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan. If you do it, you'll become much stronger."

"A thing like that..."

"At any rate, I can't be saved. In this case, it's better if I die entrusting you with a power." Itachi felt something hot inside his eyes. He couldn't analyse calmly in his confused head if they were tears, or a torrent of power that made him have the presentiment of a manifestation of a new power.

"Come on, do it! Itachi!" The words of an older brother that pushes his younger brother's back...

Itachi stepped forward, staggering.

"That's right." A tepid thing similar to blood soaked Itachi's cheeks.

Tears... Itachi kept walking in front of him while holding back his fits of crying, so that Shisui, who was still turned, wouldn't notice.

"Your "ability" doesn't fit into something like a clan. In your case, you'll be able to go beyond the clan's destiny. No..."

"Shisui..."

"I think that your ability is so big that it includes also your sense of values as a shinobi.» «My ability?" Itachi understood that his voice was shaking when he heard it in his ears. For the first time, the voice he heard was frail.

"I'm glad I met you."

"..." He held out both his arms, which were trembling all over, towards hi best friend's back.

"I leave the rest to you." Those were the words of his friend's last moment of life. 

Darkness...

The dark night was without moon and stars. It looked like the black clouds that covered the sky would burst into tears at any time. He had killed his friend. He pressed both his hands in the place where Shisui was standing just a moment ago, and hung his head down, unable to move. His exhausted body was heavy just like lead, and his wounded and torn mind kept refusing spinning the thread of his thoughts. Tears spilled over and fall from both his eyes one after the other, and he couldn't even stop them with his dry feelings. Everything and anything was completely paralysed.

No... Somewhere in Itachi's body, that was becoming one with darkness, something was smouldering. I the vast land of death, which was covered by ice, a small sparkle was burning frizzily. Looking for this faint warmth, Itachi dove into his heart. There. Two sparkles. 

 

Inside his left and right eyes. He held the sparkles tightly in his wounded and exhausted heart. Thump... In a twinkle, the sparkles wrapped his whole body, turning into huge blazes. His left and right eyes, which had become their core, were as hot as a mass of magma.

"I surely received it, Shisui."4

In Itachi's eyes, which kept shedding tears, a deep crimson light sparkled brightly.

"I promise you. I'll surely stop the clan." Hoping that it reached the realm of the dead, Itachi let the voice of his heart out in the darkness.

\---

Sakura opened her eyes.

Memories... They were memories. She looked around. She was alive. She was near the same cliff. She stood up. She was more mascular. She was taller. Then she noticed and gasped loudly.

'Oh my..!'

She was SIXTEEN.

She remembered what happened. And then rembered what Itachi said in the last moment.

'Save him! Only you can do that. Thank you' and genuine smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are the memories sakura saw. and also it was taken from the book by masashi kishimoto so everything is true to its w


	8. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sitting alone,  
> On a bench that's made for two,  
> Only one side is empty,  
> For that place is meant for you.  
> As I look out  
> Onto the beautiful sea shore,  
> Memories overtake me,  
> And wishes of making more.  
> Do you remember this special place?  
> And the moments we had here?  
> You made my life that day,  
> And that I will always hold near.  
> I find myself walking,  
> Not knowing where to go,  
> But I always end up  
> In that special place that we know.  
> I sit down, can't move,  
> Waiting for you to show,  
> And when I feel your hand on mine,  
> That's when I will go.  
> Do you see, my darling,  
> That this bench was made for two,  
> And one day in the future,  
> It will be filled again by me and you.
> 
> "I don't even know if there's such things as justice in the shinobi world. We fight believing in our own justice. But if the enemy is doing the same thing, who's right?"
> 
> -Shisui Uchiha

The sharp pain in her head woke her up. Her body felt so stiff like she hadn't moved a single limb for ages. She sat on the place and groaned as a wave of pain escalated in her body. She moved her hands to her hairs to run her hands through it.

"What the-"

Her hairs were short. Then she looked around herself. She was not in her home or in any training ground. She was near the same cliff she found out where she found... the... box... Then slowly the memories came back to her. Exactly how she reached that place. How she found the box, her confrontation to Kakashi, Her opening the box and reading pages and letters, flowers and graveyard, suddenly meeting the hooded guy who turns out to be Itachi, the timeline collapsing, Neji, Obito, Zetsu, Her being PUSHED IN THE PORTAL BY ITACHI. Now she was furious. How dare he, throwing her anywhere like that without her consent. Then an image came to her mind. It was the last thing she saw before she passed out. The faces of Naruto and Sasuke. Hooded man. Itachi... He was saying something. What was he saying. She couldn't just remember. Her head started hurting again. She groaned. She tried to stand and she wobbly did. She looked at her clothes. No, they weren't the same clothes she wore. These were the clothes she chose to wear before fourth great ninja war. When she trained with Tsunade. Is she back at that time?

Sakura wrapped her arms around herself. The cliff just end near where she was standing. She peeked through it. The naka river was frozen. The waterfall too was frozen as it was. Oh! It was winter. The snow covered the area. White blanket laced the ground. The trees of the forest were already naked of leaves and snow covered them. She started walking towards the village. She had to reach her home before she freeze to death. Each steps would make enough sound to alert anyone around her, if anyone is.

This was the winter and she was back to the time when she was sixteen. Why would Itachi send her back when she was Sixteen? She wondered all the way back to the Hokage mountain. Sakura huffed out. She sure didn't want to take all those pressure she'd once taken when she was sixteen again. It surely was too much to handle. Whole Akatsuki, Sasuke and Ninja War. She was too tired to experience it all over again.

Sakura was now stepping over the edge of Hokage mountain and looked down. She always thoughy how her village looked so beautiful in winter. The soft snow covered on the roofs of the houses. People safe, happy and warm in their homes. Warm... How much she'll enjoy a warm cup of tea now. She sighed and started walking towards the stairs that'll take her down. She slowly started descending the stairs. It was freezing. Sakura rubbed her hands on her arms. She seriously wondered about her own younger self. How could she wear this in winter! Shots, skirt and sleeveless tank top. At least a jacket could've saved her from this demise. She stepped down the last step and started walking towards her house. She was never used to entering the house using doors. She always used the windows. And because of that she'd enough scolding from her mom. She walked in the empty and silent streets. She could feel the stares of ANBUs on her back, but no worries, they knew she's her, don't they? The air behind her shifted and she felt the sharp edge of kunai probably on her neck which make her halt.

"Who are you?" the suspecting ANBU asked.

"Oh! You'd know me! I am the apprentice of the Lady Hokage! Sakura! There's nothing to suspect about! Calm down." She said in a calm and cheery voice.

"Apprentice? He has no apprentice!!" The ANBU replied.

"HE?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Shut it!" And then everything blacked down for her. Again.

~@~

I could dream of you forever,  
But it wouldn't put me beside you.   
I could call your name on end,  
But you'll never hear me.   
I could ask a million questions,  
But I'll never get the answer I want.  
I could write a hundred poems,  
But you would still never understand.   
I could have said it before it was time to leave,  
But I said it in a little note.  
I could try to forget what I feel,  
But I've pushed too much out already.  
I could lie to myself,  
But lying exhausts the soul.  
I could give up on you,   
But too much of me still loves you.

 

~@~

Uchiha Shisui was very down to earth and man of his word, having an ability to convince anyone by changing the way of him saying and influencing, is a very remarkable attitude for any Uchiha. He has his own charm, and way to influence others and drawing others back to share their own view. A real man indeed. A person who anyone wanted to be, in his clan or in the village. Though he never pried about that. Nah! Never! Everyone knew him as the Shisui of the body flicker. The most talented from the Uchihas. Though he never let those things get into his head. He has more important things to do other than bragging about how great he is. Now, he's always known for sticking to Itachi's side or the other way around. People see them as more of sibling always sticking together, complimenting each other. It's still a surprise people don't compare about which one is greater in terms of their talent or achievements. Both of them are equally talented and powerful. That's it. No one would dare to mess with more that one prodigy of the Uchiha at the same time.

 

The day started normally just as always did. His father's health was getting worse. Though he perfectly knew what's gonna happen next so he was ready for the inevitable. 

"I'm off!" He shouted as he closed the door of his house. He was wearing his usual jounin uniform with an Uchiha symbol on his sleeve and Konoha flack jacket. He had black woolen scarf around his neck. He dipped his in the warmth of his scarf and huffed.

"Damn... It's getting colder!" He muttered. 

He started walking towards Itachi's house. It's not that he has any missions with him. But Itachi was still a kid and at the age of his, he started carrying the burden of the hatred of the clan. He shook his head, he's not gonna ruin his mood so early in the morning. He's just gonna meet him. That's all. Itachi was like a little brother to him. Therefore it was his duty to put a smile on his face. He huffed again. The winter was on its peak. The road was covered with snow because of yesterday night's snowfall. His hands were in his pocket. And he was thankful for the boots he was wearing instead of normal ninja sandals.

When Shisui turned the corner for Itachi's house, he saw Itachi coming out of his house with Sasuke in tow. He was running behind his brother to catch his attention and he did as Itachi turned around and tapped his brother's forehead. Shisui smiled, he knew what he had said. He started walking towards them.

"Sorry Sasuke, maybe some other time." Itachi muttered.

Shisui grinned when he saw Sasuke pouting. When he reached there, he crouched down to his level and slung his arms around him and asked,

"Hey chump! What is it that your big brother is declining to do?" 

"He shisui! I asked him to teach me in kunai throwing technique he does. But he always say 'sorry Sasuke maybe some other time' and the other time never comes." and Sasuke pouted again.

Shisui chuckled and winked at Itachi who rose an eyebrow in question and asked Sasuke,

" So Sasuke, tell me, Do you want me to teach you that? You do know that I'm better than your brother don't you?"

"No way! Nobody is better than big brother, right big brother?" Sasuke pried his hands off him and ran towards Itachi. He bugged him to say that he's better than Shisui and Shisui laughed when Itachi was silent and said

"eh... eh... Sasuke? Your 'big' brother is silent."

Sasuke stopped and turned to glare at Shisui who stopped laughing but still had a mocking smile on his face.

"YOU!! I'll prove it to you that my brother is better than you!" Sasuke huffed and crossed his arms and walked towards his house looking away. Shisui lost it and laughed hard.

"Your... Your brother is so easy to tease." Shisui said catching his breath.

"Itachi smiled as he put his hands in his pocket and started walking towards the village probable trying to hide his embarrassment. Though Shisui still could see the pink tint on his ears. Shisui caught upto him and said him

"You should give him some of your time."

"I know! But I'm busy!He can wait."

"Again monitoring the compound eh?"

"Yeah!"

"Though you probable like it no? You can keep an eye on 'Izumi' all you want." Shisui put his hands behind his head and gave a side glance to his friends who as now looking away from him, but the pink tint on his ears was all he needed.

"Hn! I don't know what you're talking about." Itachi muttered.

Shisui hummed in approval but was still looking at his friend. Itachi looked at him and narrowed his eyes. On that, Shisui gave him a full blown grin and then chuckled lightly. Itachi cleared his throat and said

"They called me for different reason today!"

"Different reason?' Shisui raised his brow.

"Yeah! They called me to T&I building, so, I'm heading there."

"T&I? Hmm! Maybe they caught an intruder or something."

"Intruder!?"

"Yeah! And since you're new to ANBU they might want you to know how to handle them."

"Oh!"

Then they countinued to walk in silence. The village was awake now. The hustle and bustle of people working in their homes could be heard and people getting rid of the ice off the road could be seen as Shisui and Itachi walked towards the T&I building in rather slow pace enjoying the calm though chilling winter morning. Itachi insisted Shisui not to drop him there but Shisui brushed him off.

When the reached there, they're met by the Hokage himself and few ANBUs behind him looking at them.

"Lord Hokage!" Shisui bowed as well as Itachi who now wore his mask.

"Shisui! Itachi! I was about to send an ANBU to ask for your presence but then I felt you coming so there's no need!" Hiruzen said as he huffed out the smoke from his pipe.

"What is it that you need of me, Lord Hokage?" Shisui asked him in calm voise as raised from his bowing position.

"I need you to follow me right now!" Hiruzen said that and he moved towards the enterance of the T&I building. He dismissed the ANBUs as he motioned both Itachi and Shisui to follow him with his hand. Itachi and Shisui looked at each other, their silent question was clear. But both of them entered the building with their Hokage.

The inner part of the building was simple just as any office would look like. A shinobi named Teka rushed to them from reception table and bowed towards Hokage.

"Lord Hokage! My orders are to guide you towards the room. Please follow me." Teka said as he stood straight.

"Sure! Lead the way." Hiruzen said.

"Right!" Teka said and turned towards the corridor The three of them started following him. But later on they were shocked when they saw the destruction after turning around the corner.

"Who did this?" Shisui asked.

"The intruder. She's big chakra reserve. She destroyed that wing when we're interrogating her. We'd shifted her in the basement and lowered her chakra to minimum so that she could survive. Inoichi is also here. She hadn't said anything so maybe he could help." Teka explained as they walked over the destruction caused by the intruder. They reached a staircase which led downward towards the basement.

"That's as far as I'm ordered to bring you sir. The room you're supposed to go is the third room in the right." Teka bowed.

"Thank you!" Hiruzen said and stepped down to the stair. Itachi followed him.

Shisui was still standing where he was, Teka had left. Shisui was very uncertain about going downstairs. He did't know the reason why he was feeling this way. He shook his head and slowly descended towards the basement.

The first thing he saw when he reached the basement was a very well lit long corridor with rooms either side of it. White light washed the wall. He slowly started walking towards the room he was supposed to go. Hokage and Itachi were nowhere to be seen that means they were already there. He noticed there were room whose one wall was made of glass. From corridor one could see the whole room. Probable for prisoners. He thought. He stopped in front a room like that which was on his right. The room was filled with the gas or fog. He touched the glass. it was cold, very cold. Then fog it is. It was one of their torture techniques. The room must be freezing. Shisui faced the glass wall and moved closer to see who was in it.

And then a hand appeared in front of his face on the glass. It caught him off guard and he staggered few steps back. Then his onyx eyes clashed with the emerald ones. He'd never seen anyone having pink hair. But the girl in front of him has an interesting combination of pink hair and emerald eyes. He hesitantly took few steps towards the glass. He studied her face closely. She looked troubled. She was shaking, of course, from the low temperature. She was definitely freezing. she'd both of her palm pressed on the glass and was looking into his eyes with so many emotion he wasn't able to decipher. Recognition flashed into her eyes and it shocked him for a second but it was gone as fast as it came. Her eyes were filled with tears and her, now, blue lips were trembling. She was trying to say something but she wasn't able to say.

Shisui pressed his right palm on the glass. He didn't know what he was doing. But he was lost in her eyes. Her eyed flickered to his hand and then to his eyes. The tears she's been trying to control for long time were now rolling down her cheeks. She shakily moved her left hand and pressed her left palms on the glass just where Shisui's palms were. Her hands were smaller than his and she was shorter than him too. She was still looking at their palms pressed on the glass and he was looking at her. Her lips twitched. The tears had stopped rolling down her face. She looked at him... Her eyes... were all he could think of now.

The girl in the room, that room which was almost freezing her to death, was still shakily standing in front of him. She gave him a full smile which made her face brighten a little, her eyes crinkle at corner because of her skin becoming tight in the low temperature. His face relaxed a little. He didn't know until now that he was frowning this whole time. She murmured something. Her trembling lips made him unable to read what she was saying.

"Shisui?"

Shisui jerked his head to the left and saw Itachi standing in front of an open door giving him a questioning look. He turned his towards the glass wall and so no one. He slowly removed his hands off the glass and shook his head. He dipped his head in the scarf and walked towards Itachi and ignored his questioning look. He entered the room followed by Itachi who closed the door. He was met by two other ANBUs. He recognized one.

"Kakashi."

"Shisui? What're you doing here?" Kakasi asked.

"My presence was asked by Lord Hokage. The reason is still unknown." Shisui replied. Kakasi nodded. Shisui looked at Itachi who was trying not to show any curiosity about how he know his captain. They went towards the couch and sat there and waited for their further orders. The room was small. Just a table and couches around it in the middle. One door leading towards the corridor and towards its right wall, another door leading towards the door before this room. One could see the what's happening inside the room with a one way mirror window.

"We went on a mission that's how we know each other." Shisui whispered.

"I didn't asked. I didn't wanted to know." Itachi muttered.

"Sure you didn't" Shisui grninned. He stood up and ignored the half hearted glare his friend threw at him. He walked towards the window. This was an interrogation room. The interior of the room was white and a samll table with two chairs facing each other was place in the middle of the room. His eyes flickered towards the door wich lead to the other room. THAT room. He remebered the girl. The look in her eyes. He shook his head.

He saw the Hokage, Ibiki Morino - head of T&I department, and Inoichi Yamanaka talking about something in the corner of the room. The Hokage said something on which the other two noded. The Hokage head for the door to the first room, Inoichi for one of the chair in front of the table and Ibiki for the other room. Shisui's heartbeat fastened. The door to this room opened and the Hokage entered. He stood beside Shisui and other ANBUs including Itachi behind them looking at the scene unfold. The door to the other room opened and Ibiki entered in it. The foggy gas escaped from the room. Shisui could hear the thumping of his heart in his ears. First Ibiki enetred and then the pink haired girl. He shut the door behind him.

Her hairs were sprawled across her face. She was still shivering. Her lips were blue and her skin was pale, very pale. She was wearing a half sleeved tank top with shots and skirt. She had her elbow and knee protectors on their places. She was wearing high calf boots which reached below her knees. She was holding something in her hands, It was the hed protector. In short, she was a mess.

Ibiki made her sit on the other chair. He took her hands and cuffed them with the help of chakra sealing handcuffs. She was looking down, her eyes were half lidded. Ibiki shook her. She first looked at him and then to Inoichi who was calmly observing her. And then she looked to the one way mirror window. She just looked through it because it was like their eyes met again. She looked at him as if she was pleading him to stop them. He balled his hands in his pocket. Her eyes were Pleading him not her and he couldn't do anything. He didn't even know her. Why was he feeling that way? Ibiki snapped his fingers in front of eyes again. She looked towards Inoichi again. Ibiki left the room and joined them.

"Who's she?" Shisui asked.

"She sayd her name is Sakura. She was found strolling in the night one month ago. We could have let her go but we don't have any records of her and she claims to be from this village.. We found her suspicious. We'd interogated her for long. She says she don't remember anything other than her name, which contradicts to what she's said when one of the ANBU caught her." Ibiki said.

"What is it?" Shisui saked.

"She said she was the apprentice of the Lord Hokage and Lord Hokage refused to have any apprentice of any sort. When the ANBU brought her here she was passed out for two days and when she woke up, she shouted and thrashed and broke everything that came into her way. We drugged her to stop doing any more damage. After that we did everything. Interrogating, torturing... nothing worked. She didn't budge. She just kept saying she's innocent and that she son't remember anything. That's why we called Inoichi here."

Shisui looked at her again. She was looking down again and Inoichi was writing something on the notepad. He looked up and signaled towards the window that he's starting.

And then Ibiki switched on the Speackers and it creaked his voice.

"So You said your name's Sakura?" Inoichi asked.

"Yeah! I am Sakura. Sakura Haruno" The speaker creaked again.


	9. Him

I wish I could stand on a star  
I wish I could be where you are  
They say, "don't you ever give up"  
It's so hard to be somethin' when you're not 

~

She woke up, she was in a room. A white room. She knows what room was she in. An interrogation room. She groggily looked around. There was a table in front of her. The bangs covered her face. On her left there was a one way mirror. The light in the room was too much white for her liking. She tried to move her hands. 

'Oh!'

Sakura's hands were handcuffed. She groaned. Of all the places they could take her! Well actually this was the place they should actually take her. She sighed.

The door opened and none other the person she had expected entered the room. Ibiki Morino!

"Alright Girl! Speak up! We have checked every files and none of them had mentioned you! So you're clearly not a citizen of Konoha. So-" He took the seat in front of her and and leaned against his chair. His one arm behind his chair as he tilted his head "-simple question. Who are you?"

"Sakura and I'm a citizen of Konoha." She muttered to him.

"Yeah?" He changed his posture as he leaned against the table and he plopped his elbows on it. His stare never wavering. After all he was the head of the T&I department. He knows very well how to intimidate anyone. But this girl here was not getting a least bit intimidated. He was impressed nonetheless. This girl sure had guts to look into his eyes. Her eyes not even leaving his. He was amused for sure. "Then how come we don't have any information about you. So! let's make it simple, Sakura, shouldn't we? From which village you exactly are form? And the most important question. What were you doing here late at night?"

"You are suspicious of me. You think I was spying?" Sakura sneered.

"Oh? And why do you think that?" Ibiki provoked her.

Sakura was shaking, her anger was controlling her. Her eyes were shadowed. 

"I'm a citizen of Konoha!" She broke the handcuffs. "And I'm not a spy!"

Ibiki was just looking at her. His arms folded. "And what do you think we're supposed to be. You are suspicious. You know we got an intel about someone sneaking into our-"

"I'M NOT A SPY." Sakura punched the wall beside her. While wall shattered into pieces. She turned herself and watched Ibiki who was now alarmed. She smirked and knowing she'd made him aware of her powers or rather let him recall her. She walked out and saw ANBUs in their fighting stance.

'Oh well!'

~  
But I have walked alone with the stars in the moonlit night  
I have walked alone,  
no one by my side   
~

She was tired . It's been weeks or days, she didn't know, they'd put her into this freezing room. They knew it. She didn't know how. But maybe because of her fight they figured. Low temperature hinders her chakra nature. It happens in the winters with her but that temperature never affected her. But the temperature of the room she's in was really hindering something with her chakra level and it's nature. She was taken into custody. She tried to explain everything she could except the time traveling thing. But they were thinking that it's just a cover story. She groaned and leaned her head on the wall. The room was foggy. The gas they use to compress her chakra level was hovering all in the room making Sakura unable to see the glass wall. It's the only entertainment and distraction she'd from the freezing temperature. But the gas was unable to lower her sensory skill. She felt Third Hokage walking across the wall followed by Itachi.

'Itachi?'

What's happening? How was she sixteen when Third was alive. She felt them entering the room next to hers. Oh! She was going to be displayed. She huffed .

Then she felt him. A warm chakra yet had a deep coldness. Darkness. But deep down. It was buried. She shakily stood up. She didn't know the chakra signature but there was something inside her wanted her to check whose it belonged to!

~

Now I walk with you with my head held high  
In the darkest sky, I feel so alive

~

 

She shakily walked to the wall and pressed her palms on the glass. She wasn't able to see who was there because of the gas inside. She moved forward and then her emerald eyes met his. He was beautiful. His hairs were black and messy. He's of her age but had strong jawline. The most beautiful feature he'd was his eyes. Onyx with thick eyelashes which she started envying at once. She startled him. He took few steps back as she took him off guard. He was looking at her. Partly in amazement partly calculating. He hesitantly took few steps towards her. She knew him from somewhere. She'd seen him . It felt like she knew him. And then she gasped. Recognition hit her face.

'Shisui! He's alive!'

She didn't know when but tears started accumulating in her eyes. Shisui was surprised at first but then he pressed his palms on the glass. She looked at him then at the palms on the glass.  
She slowly put her palms on the glass just where he'd his own. Her lips quirked.

'Itachi!!!!You little ... You planned this didn't you!'

She smiled . She looked into his onyx eyes and instantly she remembered what Itachi had said.

'Save him. Only you can do that'

She gave him her full blown smile. And whispered. Her trembling lips barely able to make out the words she was trying to form.

"I'll s..ssaave .yyou.! I... ppromise!"

She saw him furrowing his brows maybe trying to formulate what she was trying to say. Suddenly his head snapped to her right. She saw Itachi. She took a step back. Her eyes back to him who was looking at Itachi.

"We will meet again"

She whispered as she vanished herself in the white gas making herself invisible from him. Away from his sight.

~

Adrift a lonely, little cloud  
Above ground where I stand so proud  
My face glowing loudly through the crowd  
As I walk with the beauty of the night

But I have walked alone with the stars in the moonlit night  
I have walked alone, no one by my side  
Now I walk with you with my head held high  
In the darkest sky, I feel so alive

~


End file.
